Rest and Recreation?
by Not Exactly
Summary: Amanda has a great idea how she can make Lee get the rest ordered by the doctor, but the pair end up embroiled in a case involving a plot to murder members of Congress.


Disclaimers: I am borrowing the wonderful characters from Scarecrow and Mrs. King, although I have no claim to them other than in my fantasies. I wish they were truly mine, but they really belong to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I promise to treat them well.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Thanks: I can never thank my wonderful beta team enough for all their encouragement (the gushing and begging for more did wonders for my morale). If it wasn't for Di, Kelley, and Mindy, this story would have huge holes and may never have been completed. I am indebted to this wonderful threesome for all their suggestions and corrections. Any remaining goofs are my responsibility.  
  
Time: This is set three days after the tag in The Eyes Have It; Amanda is in charge of making sure Lee gets five days of bed rest and relaxation. My story starts after three of those days have passed.  
Rest and Recreation?  
  
"Sir, may I talk to you?"  
  
"Of course, Amanda. What's on your mind? Scarecrow giving you a hard time yet?" Billy smiled at the attractive brunette perched nervously on the edge of the chair in front of him.  
  
"Well, sir, not really. I know he's just bored, but it's nothing I can't handle, it's just that I .well, I have an idea that might make things a little easier on both of us, but I'm not sure since I'm not really an agent, and I know it's Agency property, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask." Amanda glanced down at her hands as she ran out of breath, then looked back up at her Section Chief.  
  
"What's your idea, Amanda? If it will help Scarecrow follow doctor's orders, I'll see what I can do." Billy's eyes twinkled as he smiled fondly at his favorite housewife-turned-spy.  
  
Amanda smiled back, took a deep breath, and replied, "I was wondering if I - we, that is - could use the Matahari if it's available? That way Lee would be forced to stay away from the Agency, and he'd have to rest more. It would only be for the next two days, and." Amanda broke off as Billy's smile broadened into a huge grin.  
  
Before she could continue, Billy said, "Amanda, that is the best idea I've heard in a long time! What a perfect way to keep Scarecrow from overdoing it without driving everyone else crazy! Let me make a phone call to see if I can arrange it."  
  
As he reached for the phone and talked quietly into the receiver, Amanda leaned back in her chair with a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she minded her assignment to make Lee follow doctor's orders; in fact she rather enjoyed the chance it afforded her to spend time with him outside of work. And it certainly wasn't that Lee was giving her a hard time; to the contrary, he had been surprisingly agreeable to her 'orders.' No, it was more that she knew that Lee was getting stir-crazy, and she figured the change of scenery and lots of fresh air would help keep him satisfied with his enforced 'vacation.'  
  
The click of the receiver being replaced brought Amanda's attention back to Billy. "You're set, Amanda. The Matahari is all yours. And I had them disconnect the phone so Lee won't be able to call in. The two of you deserve some time to relax."  
  
Amanda blushed, and stammered, "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it, and I'm sure Lee will too."  
  
"I'm glad it worked out. Now, go on, get going!"  
  
As Amanda exited the office, she heard Billy chuckle under his breath, "Scarecrow on a boat with no way off! Perfect!"  
  
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Lee sighed and tossed aside the magazine he'd been holding. He hadn't read a single word. Standing up, he paced back and forth across the living room. He looked at his watch, frowned, and scrutinized it more closely. The second hand continued to move slowly around the face, despite Lee's belief that it must be broken.  
  
"What is taking her so long?" Lee complained. "I know she said she was stopping at the office first, but it surely shouldn't have taken this long!" He stopped by the window overlooking the street, and pulled back the curtain to peer out. Other than two elderly women slowly walking down the sidewalk and a taxi on its way toward the city, nothing moved. Lee let the curtain drop back, then turned and headed decisively for the phone. Snatching it up, he punched in a number.  
  
"This is Scarecrow. Get me Billy Melrose," he demanded the instant the operator answered.  
  
"Melrose here," Billy answered. "What's up, Lee? You're supposed to be off for another."  
  
"Yeah, Billy, I know," Lee interrupted. "Is Amanda there someplace? Let me talk to her."  
  
"Whoa, Lee, slow down." Billy felt a smile slowly spread across his face. "Amanda was here, but she just left. Is there something I can help you with?"  
  
"No, that's okay," Lee mumbled. "I just.I mean, I thought.oh, never mind!" He hung up the phone with a frustrated sigh.  
  
Twenty seemingly endless minutes later, Lee heard a knock on the door. Yanking it open, he barked out, "Amanda, where have you been? I thought you'd be here earlier than this! I've been waiting and." He stopped when Amanda's smile faded.  
  
Seeing the hurt in her eyes, Lee took her hands and gently drew her into the apartment. "I'm sorry," he said softly, pushing the door shut with his foot. "I'm not angry at you, it's just that I'm going nuts cooped up in this apartment all alone."  
  
"It's okay, Lee." Amanda placed her palm softly against his cheek, and looked into his eyes with a smile. "I know how hard this is for you, and how much you hate having nothing to do, and especially how frustrated you are." She placed a kiss on his cheek before turning and heading across the room. "I've got the perfect solution - come in here with me," she tossed over her shoulder, then vanished into his bedroom.  
  
Lee's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened with shock. Was Amanda suggesting what Lee had only begun to allow himself to dream of? Surely not.  
  
"Are you coming or not?" Amanda's voice floated out to him. "I need you; I can't do this without you."  
  
Visions of Amanda in his arms, his bed, flashed through Lee's mind, rendering him totally incapable of sound or movement. He pictured Amanda standing before him; how he would slip her sweater over her head, her jeans down her long legs, and how they would slowly and tenderly undress each other completely. Then he would scoop her into his arms to carry her to his bed. He imagined what it would be like to run his fingers through her hair, what it would feel like to have her body pressed to his, how he would love to run a trail of kisses from her neck down to.  
  
"Lee? What are you doing out there? I really need your help. I don't know what you want to pack."  
  
Pack? Lee returned to reality with a thud. He walked to the bedroom doorway to watch Amanda. She was walking out of the bathroom, arms full of shampoo, shaving cream, and other toiletries. He leaned against the doorframe to let his legs stop shaking in reaction to his earlier fantasies. "Amanda, why do I need to pack? You're not shipping me back to the hospital, are you? Have I been driving you that crazy?"  
  
Amanda dropped her eyes before he could read the mischief on her face, and feigned an absorbed interest in the carpet. "Well, Lee," she began in a small voice, "I don't know how to tell you this.I wasn't sure how to let you know.what I mean is, these last few days, this time together has been, well."  
  
As she let her voice trail away, she glanced through her eyelashes at Lee's face. At his crestfallen appearance, she relented and walked toward him to give reassurance.  
  
Lee raised his eyes as Amanda approached, relaxing as he saw the twinkle in her eye. He shook his head ruefully and suppressed a smile as he realized he had been duped by this beautiful, vibrant woman who never ceased to amaze him. Deciding that two could play this game, he forced the solemn look to remain on his face.  
  
Sighing deeply, he spoke in a voice so low Amanda had to struggle to hear him. "Amanda, you don't have to pretend with me. I know what a horrible patient I am - I'm rude, uncooperative, and make everyone's life miserable." As Amanda stopped before him, he turned his back to her and whispered, "I've done the same to you, haven't I, and now you've had enough, right?"  
  
"No, Lee." Amanda said softly as she touched his arm. Before she could continue, Lee whipped around to face her, a broad smile across his face.  
  
"Gotcha!" he gloated.  
  
It took only a split second for Amanda to realize he had been teasing her. She lifted her right hand to slap his shoulder in exasperation. Anticipating her reaction, Lee grabbed her hand in his before she could deliver.  
  
"Lee," she began, but stopped when his finger covered her lips.  
  
"Amanda, let me ask you something, okay?" At her nod, Lee lowered his hand and reached down to grasp her left hand in his right. "I'm really enjoying having my own Bedside Bluebell and I don't want to scare her away." He smiled into her eyes. "Promise me you'll tell me if I treat you badly, okay?"  
  
Amanda's answering smile warmed Lee's heart. "Don't worry, you'll be the first to know." Squeezing his hands, she added, "Now, can we please get you packed?"  
  
As she started to pull away, Lee held on more tightly. "One more thing. Why exactly am I packing?" His furrowed brow and look of bewilderment made Amanda chuckle. She disentangled her fingers and turned away.  
  
"We're going sailing.on the Matahari." As he opened his mouth to question further, she turned back toward him and added, "No, it's not a case; yes, you're still under doctor's orders to rest; and yes, I still outrank you, so get busy packing, Stetson!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," he answered meekly, moving to his dresser. As he pulled out several T-shirts, he asked, "How did you manage to get the Matahari?"  
  
Amanda's lips twitched in amusement. "Need to know, Scarecrow, and you don't need to know that information. Let's just say I have my ways."  
  
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The afternoon sun sparkled on the water of the Chesapeake as wind filled the sails of the Matahari. Amanda lifted her face to the sun, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath of contentment. She was glad she had worked up the nerve to ask for use of the boat.  
  
Glancing over at Lee, she noticed the color that had come back to his cheeks, and that he looked more rested and peaceful than he had since returning from Saint Marie to recover the Barnstorm list. There had been times during that entire fiasco that Amanda had been seriously worried about her partner's health, but now he appeared to be almost fully recovered.  
  
While she stood watching him, he stretched out on the cushions on the starboard side of the boat. She noticed that his eyes had opened and were focused on her. Embarrassed to be caught staring, she blushed. "Are you enjoying your treatment today?"  
  
"What's not to enjoy? A gorgeous day, plenty of fresh air, a chance to get out of the apartment, and you to share it all with." His grin lit up his hazel eyes. "Do we have a destination in mind for lunch, or should I go rustle up something for us from those grocery bags you had me lug on board?"  
  
"I thought we'd just drop anchor whenever we got hungry and eat up here on the deck. It's such a beautiful day that I'd hate to waste it by going inside," Amanda replied.  
  
Lee swung his legs down to the deck and stood up. "In that case, I'm going to get us some food if you're hungry enough now. I'll come up and help you with the anchor as soon as lunch is ready, okay?" At Amanda's nod, he disappeared in the direction of the galley.  
  
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After eating, Amanda stood up with her lunch dishes in her hand. As she reached out to take Lee's, he stopped her. "Here, let me help you with these."  
  
"No, Lee, you need to go lie down for a while. I can do these dishes."  
  
"Amanda, I'm fine," Lee began as he stifled a yawn.  
  
Laughing, Amanda shook her head. "You are the most stubborn person I know. You can hardly stay awake, Scarecrow. Do I need to order you to go rest?"  
  
"Stubborn, am I?" He lifted an eyebrow to look quizzically at her. "I think that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black."  
  
"Lee, I am not stubborn, you know that." Amanda reached again for his dishes. "At least I take care of myself when I need to."  
  
Moving the dishes just out of her reach, Lee smiled broadly as he noticed her struggling to hide a yawn. "Oh, yes, I can see that." He grinned. "That's why you're going to let me help you do the dishes so we can get done faster. Then we can both rest for a while."  
  
"Okay, it's a deal," she agreed. "I guess this fresh air has gotten to both of us."  
  
With Amanda washing and Lee drying, the few dishes from lunch were quickly cleaned and put away. As Amanda turned to Lee, they heard a muffled booming sound.  
  
"What was that?" Lee turned quickly to go up the stairs, Amanda right on his heels.  
  
"Look, Lee! Over there - that boat - it's on fire! Before she had finished speaking, Lee was reeling in the anchor. Amanda ran to the helm and they were underway. In a matter of minutes they reached the scene of the accident.  
  
"Oh, my gosh, there's nothing left of the boat!" Amanda rushed to the rail and peered over the edge. "I wonder if anyone."  
  
"There are two men over here!" Lee shouted. He quickly unhooked life preservers and tossed them to the two floundering individuals, who grabbed on and began kicking toward the Matahari. One of the men screamed over and over, in a desperate voice, "Katie! Katie! Where are you?"  
  
Amanda looked frantically around. "Lee, someone's floating over here, and they're not moving!"  
  
Lee kicked off his shoes and dove over the railing. Amanda watched anxiously as he stroked toward the victim and checked for a pulse. "She's alive." He started swimming back to the boat, holding her securely.  
  
Amanda lowered the rope ladder and helped the two men climb aboard. "Were there any other people on board?"  
  
"Katie, where's Katie?" demanded one of the men in near panic. He looked as though he was ready to jump overboard to find Katie if Amanda didn't immediately produce her.  
  
"Don't worry, my friend Lee has her; we just need to get her on board and notify the Coast Guard."  
  
"Amanda, there's a backboard stowed under the benches near the bow. Bring it over here," Lee called as he drew near the ladder. "We can use it to lift her up into the boat."  
  
"I'll help you," the first man volunteered. The other one headed to the radio, "I'll put out an SOS to the Coast Guard."  
  
Amanda and her assistant carefully lowered the board to Lee, who struggled to keep the woman's head above water while maneuvering the back support into position. "Lee, you're not going to be able to do that by yourself. I'm coming to help you."  
  
"No, Amanda, stay put," Lee grunted. "I almost have it now." A splash off to his right told him that his partner had disregarded his words. Together they quickly secured the woman to the board and then tied a rope to each end. With the assistance of the two men on the Matahari's deck, the unconscious victim was soon lifted to safety.  
  
After covering the woman with warm blankets and checking her pulse and respiration, Amanda reassured the worried men that their friend seemed to be fine, even though she had not regained consciousness yet.  
  
"I think Katie must have hit her head on something as we all jumped off the Nantucket," the tall blonde man said. He tore his eyes away from the unmoving figure lying on the backboard to look at Amanda and Lee. His eyes instantly went back to the unconscious woman when she stirred and moaned. He reached out to hold one of her hands in both of his, and focused intently on her face, forgetting the presence of the others.  
  
"Thank you for saving us. I'm not sure how long we would have lasted in that freezing cold water if you hadn't come along." The older man's blue eyes looked gratefully into theirs. "By the way, my name is Steve and that's my brother Brad sitting with his wife Katie. We're all indebted to you for your help; I don't know how we'll ever repay you."  
  
"We were just in the right place at the right time." Amanda dismissed his thanks with a wave of her hand. "We're glad that we could help." She handed Steve and Lee each a blanket as she spoke. Placing another blanket over Brad's shoulders, she continued, "Now you all stay bundled up while I go make us some warm drinks."  
  
As she disappeared down the stairs, Lee pulled the blanket more tightly around his shivering body and stated simply, "Mother of two." Shaking his head, he added, "I'm Lee and that was Amanda. Come with me and I'll get you some dry clothes."  
  
While Steve changed, Lee hurried into the small kitchen where he found Amanda pulling mugs from the cabinet. The burner glowed red under a teakettle. Without a word, he took the mugs from her hands and set them on a waiting tray. He pulled Amanda into his arms and securely enveloped them both in the blanket she had given him.  
  
Amanda pushed futilely against Lee's chest. "Lee," she protested. "Let go. I've got to get the drinks ready."  
  
"No, Amanda. You are going to get yourself warmed up first. You're shivering and your lips are blue. Besides, Steve is changing into dry clothes and Brad won't leave Katie's side, so no one will mind if you take care of yourself for a few minutes. In fact," he stated as he pulled back just enough to make eye contact, "I'll mind very much if you don't."  
  
"Well, I am a little cold," Amanda admitted, shivering. "Maybe I should go and change."  
  
Lee shook his head, "You can't right now. Steve is in the cabin, remember? We'll just have to snuggle together and get you warmer with a little shared body heat."  
  
"Oh." Amanda couldn't look away from Lee's eyes as they gazed earnestly into hers. Her voice trailed off as she thought back to that night in the swamp when they tried to escape from Sacker's men. She remembered huddling with Lee for warmth, and that Lee had been ready to kiss her when they were interrupted by near discovery. She suddenly became aware of how close together they were standing, with only the thin layers of their wet clothing separating them. Lee's arms held her tightly, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart, which seemed to speed up as she stared into his eyes. Her own heart sped up, and she shivered again, but this time with anticipation.  
  
Lee pulled Amanda even closer, but did not break eye contact. He found himself falling into those amazing eyes and was unable to form a single coherent thought other than how badly he wanted to kiss her. He slowly lowered his head toward hers, watching her eyes drift shut as his mouth approached hers.  
  
His own eyes closed as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, then opened slightly as he drew back to gauge her reaction. He saw the desire in her darkening eyes, and allowed his own desire to show on his face. Her hands, which were still between their bodies, slid up to entangle themselves in his hair as she pulled his head back down to hers. Their mouths met and the kiss quickly became more passionate. Amanda's tongue flicked out to trace the gap between Lee's lips, causing him to open his mouth with a gasp of surprise. Taking advantage of his astonishment, she plunged farther into his mouth seeking to initiate a dance with his tongue. Lee responded immediately, and the kiss deepened as passion flared. Lee folded his arms around her, pulling her as close as he could, and lost himself in the intensity of the kiss.  
  
As the kiss deepened, Lee's body began to burn with desire, and he held her close as the blanket fell unheeded to the floor. His hands slipped under her sodden sweater, then rubbed up and down her chilled back to try and bring her more warmth. Frustrated by his limited access, he pulled her sweater over her head. It landed on the discarded blanket, and was soon joined by Lee's shirt as Amanda made quick work of his buttons.  
  
Amanda felt as though her desires were overpowering her practical nature. She had been in love with Lee for so long, and had waited forever for him to feel the same way toward her. This kiss, this incredibly soul-satisfying kiss, had shattered any resistance she might have felt. After tossing Lee's shirt to the floor, she pressed her body to his, reveling in the feel of his skin next to hers. Her hands traveled across his shoulders before once again burying themselves in his hair.  
  
Lee felt his self-control crumble further when Amanda moaned deep in her throat as she pulled his body even closer to hers. His skin was on fire everywhere that it touched hers, and he couldn't contain the shudder of pleasure that passed through him. God, all he wanted to do was to scoop Amanda up into his arms, carry her to the cabin, and make love to her for the rest of the day. His subconscious reminded him that this was the first time he'd ever allowed himself to even think of the act of sex as "making love," but his conscious mind shied away from that knowledge. All he knew was that he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted any of the other women who had paraded in and out of his life. His hands caressed Amanda's back and then moved toward the clasp on her bra. He froze in place as Steve's voice called out, "Lee, I'm done changing. You and Amanda can go get dry clothes on now."  
  
Breathing heavily, Amanda returned to reality with an unpleasant jolt. Her face flamed crimson as she realized how bold she had been. Hastily grabbing the blanket, she wrapped herself in it before bolting out of the room.  
  
"Amanda," Lee called, but stopped when he noticed Steve coming toward him. Using his foot, he hastily pushed the discarded clothing next to the stove and out of sight. Pasting a false smile on his face, he gestured to the kettle. "The drinks will be ready soon," he said, just as a piercing shriek announced the same information. Pouring the boiling water over the teabags and then pulling out lemon and sugar helped keep Lee occupied until Amanda re-appeared.  
  
She was now wearing black jeans and a pink Georgetown sweatshirt, with her damp hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Lee's breath caught, and he thought she looked more alluring than ever. She ducked her head as he approached, and refused to meet his eyes as she mumbled, "Thanks for finishing the drinks while I changed."  
  
Mindful of their audience, Lee didn't wrap her in his arms and kiss her the way he ached to. Instead, he said, "No problem." He reached out his finger to lift her chin, silently demanding her to meet his eyes. When her gaze reluctantly lifted to his, he looked at her.intently and whispered, "Hey, I'm sorry." For Steve's benefit, he said aloud, "Guess I'll go change now." In a voice only Amanda could hear, he added, "We'll talk later."  
  
Amanda and Steve carried the hot tea up to the deck, where they persuaded Brad to drink some. A few minutes later, Lee reappeared and joined them. Amanda silently handed him a drink, then returned to studying her own beverage with absorbed interest.  
  
Lee wanted more than anything to clear the air between them, but realized that attempting to do so in front of other people would only make matters worse. He sighed in frustration, and directed his attention to Steve. "Do you have any idea what caused the fire on your boat?"  
  
Steve shook his head. "No, I don't. All I know is that one minute we were sailing along enjoying the breeze, and the next there was a loud noise like an explosion of some kind. Brad yelled, 'Fire!' and I reached for the fire extinguisher, but it was too late. All we could do was get off as fast as possible."  
  
"Well, hopefully the Coast Guard will be able to give you some answers," Lee stated. "It looks like they're almost here."  
  
While several 'Coasties' tended to the unconscious woman, the captain took statements from Lee and Amanda. Shortly afterward, Katie was transferred to the cutter, accompanied by Brad and Steve. After the rescue ship pulled away, Lee turned to Amanda.  
  
When she refused to meet his eyes, he shuffled his feet nervously and ran his hand through his hair. "Um, Amanda, now that they're gone, we need to talk about what happened earlier." He clasped both of her hands in his. "Uh, look, I'm really sorry." He paused when she pulled her hands abruptly out of his and turned away. She stood stiffly, her back straight and her arms folded across her chest. "Amanda, please look at me," he begged. When she didn't respond, he sighed, looked at his feet, and said, "Why won't you look at me? I really am sorry. It's just that." Words failed him and he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.  
  
In a voice devoid of emotion, Amanda inquired quietly, "Are you going to tell me that what happened was just two people trying to get warm?"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
Amanda turned around to look into his eyes. "Then why did you say you were sorry?"  
  
Understanding flooded Lee. "Because I wanted to apologize for letting things go that far that fast." He gazed into her eyes as he added fervently, "But I'm not going to apologize for kissing you. I've wanted to kiss you like that for the longest time."  
  
Amanda sighed and closed her eyes. "Lee," she said softly, "I've wanted to kiss you too; for longer than you can imagine, but.I know I sort of pushed myself on you earlier, and I'm really sorry if I made you feel you had to.um.you know." Her face turned scarlet with embarrassment.  
  
Lee put his finger under her chin and forced her to look up. "Amanda King, you stop right there," Lee commanded. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. You didn't make me do anything. I wanted to kiss you, and then, well, I just got carried away."  
  
Amanda smiled tentatively, but it quickly faded. "Lee." She hesitated, then continued, the words spilling out rapidly. "Even though this is what I really want between us, I'm not sure, I mean, I'm really kind of nervous. You've dated all those other women, and."  
  
Lee looked deep into Amanda's eyes. "Amanda, I thank God that you're not like those other women. None of them ever bothered to get to really know me, and I didn't care who they were either. I wanted them for only one thing, and that's all they wanted in return. You're the first person since.well, I'm not even sure when, who cares enough to put up with all of me, the good stuff and the bad." He tenderly pushed back a lock of her hair. "I respect you and I don't ever intend to force you into anything physical unless we're both sure it's right." He took a step to close the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. "And as much as I want to carry you into the cabin and make love to you, I don't think either of us is really ready for that yet. We need to slow down."  
  
Amanda looked up at him. "You're right, but we don't need to slow down to a crawl either, do we?" Her lips curved into a smile and she clasped her hands around Lee's neck.  
  
"Amanda, are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" At her nod, Lee bent his head and trailed kisses from her neck up to her earlobe. His tongue explored her ear and his breath sent shivers of delight surging through Amanda's body. "Cold?" he inquired huskily.  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
Chuckling softly, Lee lowered his mouth to hers, gently placing a light kiss on her lips. He began to pull away, but Amanda grabbed onto his shirt and drew him back.  
  
"Not so fast, buster. Where do you think you're going?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. She licked her lips, glanced at Lee's mouth, and then looked back up. By mutual agreement, they leaned in until the space between them disappeared. He captured her lips in a second, more passionate kiss. His tongue darted out to trace her lips, to demand entrance, and he was not denied. Amanda eagerly gave him access, and then boldly explored his mouth with her tongue.  
  
Minutes later, desperate for air, they reluctantly parted, then leaned their foreheads together in an effort to regain their breath. Lee traced Amanda's lips with one finger, awed at the effect she had on him. "Wow!" he murmured. Amanda nodded mutely in agreement. Lee laughed lightly and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I think I've finally found a way to stop you from talking," he teased. "Now how about we get underway again before I forget my promise to slow things down. If we can make it to St. Michaels by dinner time, I'd like to take you someplace special tonight."  
  
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"Lee," Amanda whispered urgently after glancing at the menu, "we should leave. Did you see their prices? I can't let you spend that much on dinner."  
  
Lee smiled, then reached over to gently remove the menu from Amanda's hands. "Maybe you should let me order for you. Then you won't have to worry about the cost." He raised his hand as she started to protest. "Amanda, I want to buy you dinner, and I want to have it here. I've heard wonderful things about The Inn at Perry Cabin, and this is where I want to eat. With you. Now, can we please change the subject?" At her nod of agreement, Lee smiled and asked, "So what do you think of St. Michaels so far?"  
  
"Oh, Lee, it's charming! This whole town has a wonderful atmosphere with all the old buildings, the view of the bay, and all the boats in the marina. It's like a movie set or something. I found a brochure that tells all about the history of St. Michaels. Lee, did you know that this town tricked the British army in the early 1800s? The townspeople somehow found out an attack was planned, so they hung lanterns in the treetops and on the masts of the ships, but didn't have any lights in the buildings. When the British fired, all the shots went above the town. Only one house was damaged, and no one was hurt. That's how they got the nickname 'the town that fooled the British.' And did you see all those great shops we passed? I can't wait to look in some of them; I bet I can find some wonderful gifts for Mother. Her birthday's coming up in a couple of weeks, and I'd really love to get her something special that you can't find anywhere else."  
  
While Amanda talked, Lee watched her with a bemused expression. He noted how her brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and marveled at the enjoyment she found in every aspect of life. That eagerness radiated out to affect everyone around her. Lee realized how much she had changed the way he viewed the world, and, on a more personal level, how she had altered his feelings about relationships, especially the one that was developing between them. He wasn't quite sure yet where it was leading, but he was thoroughly enjoying the journey. He reached out to hold her hand, and absently rubbed his thumb in lazy circles on her skin. She smiled in response and Lee knew that his life had changed for the better ever since he'd been fortunate enough to pick her out of a crowd at the train station.  
  
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"Oh, Lee, that was superb!" Amanda exclaimed with a satisfied sigh. "I've never had duck before; a single mother certainly can't afford it. Thanks for dinner! I really had a marvelous time!" She leaned over the table and added in a whisper, "But I still think you're spending too much!"  
  
Lee grasped Amanda's right hand with his left. "You are definitely worth it." He raised her hand to his lips and bestowed a kiss on the back of her knuckles. "Do you want any dessert? I hear their chocolate cheesecake is out of this world."  
  
"No, thanks, I couldn't possibly eat another bite. Besides, I really think we should go back to the boat. You look like you can hardly keep your eyes open."  
  
"Okay." He signaled for the check. "We'll do the cheesecake another time then."  
  
Hand-in-hand, Amanda and Lee strolled along the shore on the way back to the Matahari. When Lee felt a shiver go through Amanda, he wrapped his arm around her. Rubbing her arm, he inquired, "Amanda, are you cold? Here, take my jacket." He started to pull away to remove it, but she drew him back to her side.  
  
"No, Lee, I'm not really cold. I was just thinking about Katie and wondering how she's doing. It was such a horrible thing to happen on such a beautiful day."  
  
"It was horrible, but at least we were close enough to help them. I'm not sure what would have happened to them otherwise. And I'm sure Katie will be well taken care of."  
  
"I just wish I knew for sure." Amanda paused as they reached the Matahari's slip. "Isn't there some way we can find out how she is?"  
  
Lee laughed and squeezed her arm affectionately. "I already took care of that." In response to her look of surprise, he continued, "While you were changing for dinner, I used the pay phone to call Billy." Lee held his hand out to help Amanda aboard. "We're to call him in the morning and he'll let us know what he finds out. Maybe we can go visit her after we return the Matahari tomorrow." Joining her on the deck, Lee placed his hand on her back and guided her to the hatch.  
  
Amanda paused at the top of the stairs and reached up to lock her fingers together around Lee's neck. "You know something, Scarecrow? You're pretty amazing!" Placing a quick kiss on his cheek, she added, "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. But is that the best you can do to show your gratitude? I'm sure I."  
  
His words were cut off as Amanda brought his head close and initiated a passionate kiss. As the kiss ended, they pulled back to look in each other's eyes.  
  
"Amanda," Lee began in a voice deepened with desire, "We really." His sentence was cut off by an uncontrollable yawn.  
  
Amanda was consumed by a fit of giggles. "Some great romancer you turned out to be, Scarecrow," she teased before she was overcome by a matching yawn.  
  
"Yeah, we make quite a pair, don't we?" Lee's eyes shone with amusement. "It was a pretty eventful day, and we never did get that nap you ordered." He placed a soft kiss on her lips, and yawned again. "Sorry, it's not you. All of a sudden I'm just beat. Let's get some sleep, and you can thank me properly tomorrow."  
  
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Amanda put several bags down by her feet and leaned against the wall beside the phone as Lee talked to Billy. "Yeah, Billy, it's Lee. Did you get that information?.Annapolis General. Got it, thanks.Who?.You're kidding!.Okay.Yeah, I remember when that happened.You're sure?.Where?" He nodded and looked at Amanda while he listened. After several more minutes of scattered "mm-hmm"s and "okay"s, Lee hung up the phone.  
  
"Well, that was an awfully long conversation! Did you find out about Katie?"  
  
"Yeah, I sure did." He bent over and picked up the packages. "Here, let me help you with these." Amanda smiled her thanks, and they started walking toward the marina. "Katie is being released this afternoon. Turns out she only had a mild concussion."  
  
"Oh, Lee, that's really good news! I've been so worried about her ever since yesterday, you know with her being unconscious and in that cold water and that terrible accident with their boat.What?" she asked as Lee shook his head.  
  
"That was no accident."  
  
"What?" Amanda stopped abruptly and turned to look at Lee.  
  
"Nope, that was one of the things Billy told me just now. Remember that 'boom' we heard?" Amanda nodded. "That was a bomb. There were traces of plastique on some of the pieces they recovered."  
  
"Oh, my gosh, why would anyone want to hurt those nice people?"  
  
"Have you ever heard of Curtis S. Fleming?"  
  
"Sure, isn't he that Congressman from Massachusetts that's so involved in energy conservation?" They started down the dock.  
  
"That's the one. To his friends he's better known as Steve. That was him we pulled out of the bay yesterday. Seems that he's been receiving death threats for a couple of weeks now, but he brushed them off as hoaxes. After yesterday, he realized that they might not be jokes, so he told the authorities about them. And since it involves a member of Congress, the Agency has been brought in." Lee set the bags he was carrying on the dock and held out a hand to assist Amanda aboard. Once she was on the deck, he handed her the bags one at a time, then climbed up beside her.  
  
"Now it looks like this goes a lot farther than Fleming's 'accident.' Do you remember when Congressman Davis Thornley was killed a few weeks ago?" Lee reached out and tucked a windblown lock of hair behind Amanda's ear.  
  
"Sure, his car was found in that ravine just off of Rock Creek Parkway. But I thought it was the result of drunk driving. Wasn't Thornley's blood alcohol level way over the legal limit?"  
  
"That's what everyone thought at the time, but his widow refused to believe it. She kept insisting her husband never drank to excess and showed the investigating officer several threatening notes she'd found in her husband's desk at their home. The officer didn't take them, or her, seriously, stuck them in his coat pocket, and he's just now remembered them. I guess when he heard about the letters Fleming had been getting, it jogged his memory, and he decided he'd better take a closer look at the ones Thornley received. They were definitely written by the same person. And get this; they were both on the Energy and Mineral Resources Committee. Now we need to talk to the other members of that committee."  
  
"'We' as in the Agency or 'we' as in you and me?"  
  
"Us," Lee pointed to himself and Amanda, "and of course the Agency as a whole."  
  
"But, Lee," Amanda protested, "You're not supposed to be on active duty for another 24 hours! I know you're feeling better, and I know you don't think you need the rest, but you can't keep ignoring the doctor's orders like this and ever expect to be 100%. Besides, Billy put me in charge of your recovery, and I still outrank you, so forget it, Scarecrow!! We're.you're not getting involved!"  
  
"Amanda, this was Billy's idea, not mine." Lee placed his hands on her upper arms. "We're in a perfect position to take this assignment. Several of the committee members are among the people who are attending a party on Congressman Garcia's yacht tomorrow night, and Billy has arranged for us to go. So, you see, I'm still technically off duty until tomorrow, and we just need to sail the Matahari to the marina in Solomons by then." He looked intently into Amanda's eyes and smiled. "You still have plenty of time to nurse me back to health." He pulled her closer and kissed her gently. "Thanks for caring."  
  
Amanda slid her hands around his neck and grinned. "Someone has to take care of you, Stetson. I don't know how you survived all those years without me!" She lifted one hand to caress his cheek, and whispered, "But I'm awfully glad you did!" She placed a kiss on his lips, twining her fingers in his hair to pull him close.  
  
They reluctantly pulled apart a few minutes later. "Let me carry these below for you," Lee offered as he picked up the packages. "Then we need to go back to town and get a few more things unless." his eyes twinkled at her questioning look, "unless you happen to have packed an evening gown in your suitcase. Billy said this party is black tie, and that we should just charge what we need to the Agency. "  
  
"Oh, Lee, you know how much I hate to do that," Amanda protested, "Isn't there some way someone could bring us our own clothes?" She stopped as Lee shook his head back and forth with an amused smile. "Okay, okay, you're right. I guess that's not such a practical idea, is it? And I can't very well show up in jeans, can I?" She sighed in resignation. "I think I remember seeing a tux shop a few doors down from a little boutique that had some evening gowns in the window. Let's go."  
  
Two hours later, the Matahari sailed out of St. Michaels' harbor and headed south.  
  
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"Oh, Lee, this place is as beautiful as St. Michaels!" Amanda and Lee strolled hand-in-hand along the waterfront of Solomons Island. "It's hard to believe there are places like this so close to DC. I feel like I'm in the middle of New England, not a couple of hours from the nation's capital."  
  
"I know what you mean, Amanda. With the marinas, the water, and the quaint buildings, it certainly gives the impression of a small town in Maine or Massachusetts. I haven't been down here in years, but it hasn't changed very much at all." He stopped in front of the Skipjack Restaurant. "I remember eating in here; the food was marvelous, and they're well-known for their seafood. Why don't you see about getting us a table while I find a phone and call Billy."  
  
After making his call, Lee paused in the doorway leading out to the deck of the Skipjack Restaurant. Looking around, he spied Amanda leaning on the railing overlooking the Solomons' harbor. The breeze ruffled her bangs and the light from the setting sun accented the highlights in her hair. Lee was struck again with her natural beauty and marveled how he had ever wondered what anyone could see in Amanda King.  
  
She turned just then and greeted him with a warm smile. "Our table is ready; it's right over here." She led him to a table with a spectacular view of the water, boats, and marina. "I hope you don't mind, but I asked for a table outside. I'm sure they can move us if you'd prefer, but it's such beautiful evening. I know we've spent a lot of time outdoors being on the Matahari and all, so if you'd rather sit inside, just tell me. Did you get hold of Billy? Did he have anything new to tell you?"  
  
Lee never ceased to be amazed at how much Amanda could say in one breath, and how she could easily change topics in midstream. He held her chair for her, then seated himself beside her. "This table's fine, Amanda, and yes, I talked to Billy. Dr. Smythe has pulled some strings and managed to get Thornley's body exhumed about an hour ago. We should have a complete autopsy report by tomorrow."  
  
"But didn't they do an autopsy when he died?"  
  
"Yes, but when Billy sent Chambers to talk to the doctor who did the autopsy, both the doctor and the report had disappeared."  
  
"Well, that's awfully suspicious."  
  
"It sure is. If it turns out that Thornley was murdered, Congress will really be in an uproar. Billy hopes we can get something helpful tomorrow night at Garcia's party."  
  
The waiter appeared at their table, and the conversation shifted to other topics, more conducive to the weather, the view, and the company.  
  
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Moonlight traced an enchanted path across the waters of the Chesapeake as Lee and Amanda walked slowly back to the Matahari. After boarding the boat, Amanda turned to take another look at the luminous waters. "Oh, Lee, it's so beautiful," Amanda breathed, her face bathed in the silvery light. "It's almost like a piece of heaven fell down to earth."  
  
Lee's breath caught in his throat as he gazed at Amanda. "Yes, beautiful," he echoed, but his eyes never left the face of the woman who was his partner, his best friend, his.his. Better not go there, he thought.  
  
Amanda looked at Lee, then blushed and ducked her head as she realized he hadn't been talking about the view. "Lee, I was talking about all this." Her arm swept out to indicate the vista in front of them.  
  
"Hmmm." Lee thoughtfully regarded the moonlit bay, drawing Amanda to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I suppose you could say it has some merit. But can you blame me if I found something else more delightful to look at? You are beautiful, you know." He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head before turning her around to face him. "You are one of the few people I know who is truly beautiful both inside and out." He pointed to her heart, then ran his finger along her cheek.  
  
"Lee-ee." Amanda's protest was cut off when Lee's mouth met hers. The kiss started off tenderly, then quickly flared as passion intensified. All conscious thought fled, and she responded with increasing fervor. Parting her lips in silent invitation, Amanda moaned as Lee's tongue invaded her mouth. His hands roamed up and down her body, turning her bones into water, before settling on her hips and drawing her near. Leaving her lips, he planted a trail of kisses along her jaw and down her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access, and slid her hands under his sweater, delighting in the feel of his skin.  
  
Lee kissed his way back up to her mouth, claiming her lips again. Desire shot through him as their tongues collided. The sound of Amanda's low moans enflamed him further. He drew her slender body as close to him as was possible, but it was not close enough. Holding her tightly to him, he slid his hands under the edge of her sweatshirt, stroking her bare skin.  
  
The unexpected blare of a boat's horn jolted them apart. Groaning in frustration, Lee kissed Amanda's nose and her forehead before pulling her head against his chest. "God, Amanda, you can't imagine what you do to me."  
  
Amanda listened to his racing heart while she tried to catch her breath. "Well, if it's anything like the things you do to me." She let her voice trail away.  
  
Lee caressed her back while waiting for his breathing to return to normal. "I'm so glad I met you. Giving you that package at the train station was the smartest thing I've ever done." He hugged her tightly.  
  
"I'm awfully glad I took it." Amanda returned the embrace. "I can't imagine my life without you."  
  
"You don't have any regrets? Even with all the dangerous situations you find yourself in?"  
  
She shook her head. "None. In fact, who knows where I'd be if you hadn't been around when Sinclair tried to sell me." She shuddered at the thought.  
  
Lee held her even more tightly. "I still see red when I think of the nerve of that guy! I can't even bear to imagine what would have happened."  
  
Amanda leaned into his embrace. "Actually, I do have one regret."  
  
Lee paused and swallowed hard. "Really? What's that?"  
  
"I regret that you saw that 'Hot Mama' shirt. I don't know what possessed the boys to buy such a thing, but I couldn't hurt their feelings by not wearing it."  
  
"No, I guess you couldn't." He pulled back to look into her face. "And, although I certainly didn't react well when I first saw it, I'm kinda looking forward to seeing you model it some day." He winked and leered at her.  
  
"Lee!" was all Amanda was able to squeak out.  
  
He laughed and hugged her again. "You know what? You're really cute when you're embarrassed."  
  
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Lee squinted in the bright afternoon sun as he jotted notes while listening to Billy. He smiled as Amanda approached the pay phone carrying two steaming cups. After he finished the phone call, she handed him one of the drinks. "Billy said that the new autopsy on Thornley confirmed that he was not intoxicated when he died, but was under the influence of a mind- altering drug similar to the one Retzig used that time you ate my chicken sandwich."  
  
Amanda shuddered at the memory. "So his wife was right when she refused to believe the drunk driving verdict."  
  
"Yes, she was. And, unfortunately for us, we have two different murder attempts with two very different MO's."  
  
Amanda sipped her coffee and nodded thoughtfully. "A bombing and a drug- induced death. Do they have any idea how the drug ended up in Thornley?"  
  
"No." Lee shook his head. "It's been too long since his death for the M.E. to be sure. Our best bet is to keep our eyes and ears open tonight and hope that we get a lucky break." He placed his hand on her back and guided her away from the phone. "In the meantime, we have the rest of the day free. What do you say to an early lunch at the Oyster Bar? Then we can take that tour of the Drum Point Lighthouse that you mentioned."  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
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"Lee?" At the sound of Amanda's voice, Lee turned around. What he saw took his breath away. Amanda stood before him, a vision in gold. The shimmering material of her gown clung to her in all the right places and fell in soft folds to the ground. Her hair was pulled up with matching gold barrettes, leaving her neck and shoulders bare. "Lee, do I look okay? It was hard to tell with that little mirror in the cabin."  
  
Lee shook his head slowly in amazement, and cleared his throat. "No, Amanda, you don't just look okay, you look beautiful!" .and gorgeous and sexy and alluring his mind added silently.  
  
Amanda lowered her eyes and blushed. "Thanks, Lee. You look very handsome yourself." In her head, she continued, Gosh, when he wears a tux, something in me just melts! Talk about sex appeal!  
  
Giving a slight bow, Lee smiled. "Thank you. Are you ready to go? You'll probably want to bring something to wear later to keep you warm. Once the sun goes down, it could get a little chilly. Of course," he added with a suggestive twitch of his eyebrows, "I could probably think of some interesting ways to keep you from getting too cold."  
  
"Well, as inviting as that sounds, I'm not sure we'd get much work done that way." Amanda turned and picked up the shawl she had brought up from the cabin. "Okay, I'm ready."  
  
Once aboard the Franklin, Lee and Amanda introduced themselves to Congressman Garcia and his wife, then moved away to mingle with the other guests. Unobtrusive waiters offered appetizers and wine and removed empty glasses without disturbing the conversations of the guests. Lee and Amanda moved from group to group, listening more than talking, hoping to get some idea what could have motivated the threats and attacks.  
  
"Quite an impressive party, isn't it?" Amanda said in low tones to Lee.  
  
"Yes, it is," he murmured back, "but we're not making much headway. We've been here for an hour already, and don't know anything new other than how to keep champagne chilled while at sea. Maybe if we split up we'll have better luck."  
  
Amanda nodded, and watched Lee walk toward a group of three men chatting with Congressman Garcia. She turned and walked toward the stairs leading below, intent on doing a little snooping. If someone sees me, I'll just say I was looking for the bathroom, Amanda told herself. She went down the stairs, took a quick glance behind her when she reached a closed door, turned the knob, and slipped quietly inside. Waiting a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she became aware that other footsteps were quietly descending the staircase. Looking frantically for a place to hide, she was relieved when the person tiptoed past the room she was in.  
  
"Barry, where are you?" a voice whispered.  
  
"Shhh, I'm right here." Amanda heard the sound of a door opening and closing softly, then the indistinct rumbling of voices.  
  
Determined to hear the conversation, Amanda eased open the door of the room where she was standing, and crept to the door behind which she could hear the voices. Pressing her ear to the crack, she was able to make out only a few scattered words and phrases. ".next target.tonight.Congress.big bucks from Silvo.not a problem." Amanda scurried back into her original spot when the voices came closer to the exit. Leaving the door ajar an inch, Amanda saw two men emerge from the room next door, but was only able to see their backs as they headed for the stairs. After making sure that they had gone back up to the deck, she waited a few minutes before she went to find Lee.  
  
Seeing that a large-bosomed woman with a booming voice had cornered him, Amanda went to his rescue. "Excuse me?" she said with a wink at Lee. "I believe someone said the Vice-President was here. Is that true?"  
  
"The Vice-President? Well, he just happens to be a good friend of mine! I'm sure he'll be looking for me. Nice to have met you." The woman turned on her heels and hurried away.  
  
"The Vice-President, huh?" Lee questioned with a twinkle in his eye. "What made you say that? And how did you know it would work?"  
  
Amanda shrugged. "I overheard her bragging earlier about knowing Senator Crandall and Ambassador Traficante. She sounded like the kind of person who 'collects' famous people." She looked after the rapidly retreating figure. "Do you think she really does know the Vice-President?"  
  
"I doubt it." Lee took Amanda by the arm and guided her to the railing. "But nice save. Thanks. So, where did you disappear to?"  
  
Amanda looked around carefully, then leaned closer to Lee. "I went below to snoop around a little." Lee's mouth opened, but Amanda stopped him with a finger on his lips. "I was perfectly safe; I just figured if I got caught that I'd use the old 'looking for the bathroom' line. But before I could even get started, I overheard part of a conversation between two men that sounded suspicious. I didn't really get a good look at them though. They came up a few minutes before me. Did you see them?"  
  
Lee shook his head. "No, I couldn't really see much around my eager 'friend'. What did you hear them say?"  
  
"Well, I only got a few words here and there, but it sounded like they were planning another attack. I heard something about 'Congress' and 'big money' and a name that sounded like 'Silvo'. Oh, and the word 'tonight'. I bet they're going to try and kill someone tonight. We've got to stop them!" Amanda clutched Lee's arm in her agitation.  
  
"Are you sure you couldn't identify either man?"  
  
"No, I only saw their backs. They both had brown hair and were about 6' tall. One had on a white tux and one a black tux. That could be half the men at this party." She waved a hand at the guests. "Oh, wait, I heard the one man call the other one 'Barry.'"  
  
"That's something at least." Lee put his hand on Amanda's arm. "Look, I'm going to have a word with Garcia and see if he knows who Barry could be. Wait here; I'll be right back."  
  
Lee returned a few minutes later. "Congressman Garcia says he didn't invite anyone named Barry. He also said that many of the people he did invite brought guests with them, but that he wasn't introduced to anyone with that name." Lee broke off as a couple with their arms linked walked past. Once they were safely out of earshot, he continued, "That narrows it down to a guest he wasn't introduced to, one of the caterers, or someone who crashed the party. And that doesn't tell us anything about Barry's accomplice. Doesn't give us much to go on, I'm afraid." He shook his head ruefully. "I guess all we can do at this point is to keep our eyes and ears open, and maybe we can stumble onto this Barry somehow. I just hope."  
  
Lee broke off abruptly when they heard cries of "Call a doctor!" and "Somebody help her!"  
  
Hurrying over to a group of people, Lee and Amanda pushed their way through them to where a woman lay writhing on the deck. Amanda knelt beside the stricken woman and stroked her forehead. "Lee! She's having some kind of seizure!" She lifted the woman's head into her lap and attempted to soothe her. Moments later, the woman's body shuddered violently, stiffened, then collapsed. Feeling for a pulse, Amanda shook her head sadly.  
  
One of the guests hurried forward saying, "I know CPR." He knelt on the deck, and Amanda stood up and moved next to Lee.  
  
"Amanda, there was nothing anyone could do." He put his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Let me see her," a voice screamed. "Mother! Mother!" A sobbing young woman tore herself out of the hands holding her back and flung herself onto the unmoving body.  
  
With Lee's help, Amanda pulled her away. "No, no, come over here with me," soothed Amanda. "I'm so sorry, so sorry." She rocked the girl back and forth and whispered condolences into her ear.  
  
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From the pay phone near the marina office, Lee filled Billy in on what they knew. "Yeah, so far all we know is that the dead woman was Louise Warner, the Congresswoman from Utah, that she was also on the Energy and Mineral Resources Committee, and that she's dead, apparently from a food allergy of some kind." He paused and listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. "No, that's all the paramedic would say until the M.E. does an autopsy, but Billy, it's just too much of a coincidence! Three members of the same Congressional committee? I'd bet my last dollar that Louise Warner was murdered.No, the daughter, Laura, is too hysterical right now to make any sense. She's been sedated and Garcia's aide is driving her back to DC tonight.Yeah, I'll keep you posted. Talk to you tomorrow, that is, later this morning."  
  
As he hung up the phone he looked again at his watch. 2:13 AM; he and Amanda would be lucky to snatch more than a couple of hours of sleep tonight. Lee walked along the dock away from the phone he'd been using, intent on getting back to his partner. He was worried about Amanda; he knew how anyone's death affected her, and to have someone die in her arms was sure to escalate her reaction, delayed though it might be.  
  
After answering a few more questions, Amanda and Lee walked quietly back to the Matahari, Lee's arm securely around Amanda's shoulder. He led her straight to the cabin, sat her on the bed, then knelt in front of her. "Hey," he said gently, searching her eyes, "are you okay?"  
  
Amanda started to nod her head, but then the tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Lee, I know you don't like tears, but.but." She was unable to continue as sobs shook her body.  
  
Lee sat on the bed beside Amanda and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay, Amanda. Cry all you need to; I'm right here." He rubbed her back as she buried her face against his chest. When the tears began to slow down, Lee lifted her face to his and gently kissed her forehead. "Do you want to talk about it? It might make you feel better." He offered her a tissue.  
  
"Oh, Lee, I feel so sad for Laura. To have your mother die is bad enough, but to see her in such agony, I don't know, it's just so horrible! And I wanted so much to do something for Mrs. Warner, but I felt so helpless. And then.and then."Amanda looked away and swallowed hard. "And then she died in my arms, Lee, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Every time I close my eyes I can see her twisting in pain, and I couldn't do anything!" A lone tear trailed down her cheek.  
  
Lee traced its path with his thumb, then turned Amanda's face until she was forced to meet his eyes. "Death is never easy to stomach, Amanda. I wish there was something I could do or say to make this easier for you, but you wouldn't be the Amanda I know if you didn't care so much." He drew her closer and hugged her tightly.  
  
"Thank you, Lee." She returned his hug. "I do feel a little bit better. I'm exhausted and just want to go to sleep, but I'm afraid of what I'll see in my mind when I close my eyes." She looked up pleadingly. "Would you sit with me until I fall asleep?"  
  
"Of course I will. I'll just pull this chair over here and sit for a while, okay?" With one hand, Lee moved the chair closer to the bed, never relinquishing his hold on Amanda.  
  
"That's so nice," murmured Amanda sleepily. "but first.I really.need.to change my." Her voice drifted away. Lee looked down and realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms. He gently eased her down until her head rested on the pillow, then lifted her feet onto the bed. Pulling the blanket up, he covered her, then kissed her on the cheek. Settling into the chair, he held her hand in his, and decided to wait just a few minutes to be sure she was sound asleep.  
  
The next thing he knew, Amanda was shaking him. "Lee, Lee, wake up." He groaned as his muscles complained at the position they had maintained all night. "I can't believe you slept sitting up in that chair!" she exclaimed. "You're going to be really sore!"  
  
He groaned again, blinked his eyes a few times, then finally focused on the worried face next to his. "Oh, you can say that again! " He tried to work out the kinks in his neck. "Ow, ohh!" His moans changed to sighs of pleasure as he felt Amanda's fingers gently massaging his upper back. "Aaahhh, that feels great! Where'd you learn how to do that?"  
  
"Oh, you learn all kinds of useful things being a Bedside Bluebell." Amanda moved her fingers up to his neck. "Those skills have certainly come in handy this past week! What were you still doing in that chair? I thought you were only going to sit there until I fell asleep!"  
  
"I was," Lee agreed with a chuckle, "but I kind of went to sleep before I knew it." He moved his head gingerly, then reached up to tug on her hand until she stood in front of him. "Thanks, Amanda, I'm okay. Now, how about a proper good morning?" He pulled her down onto his lap. Her gasp of surprise was cut off as Lee kissed her, darting his tongue into her open mouth. Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck and responded with enthusiasm. He caressed her bare back, and groaned as the feel of her soft skin aroused him further. Amanda echoed his moan, and slid her hands down, using her nails to trace slow circles on his shoulders. A few minutes later, Lee exerted his last ounce of willpower and pulled back to look into Amanda's eyes. He placed his hand on her face, gently rubbing his thumb on her cheek. "God, Amanda, I think I'd better go take a shower before things get out of hand."  
  
Amanda kissed him tenderly. "You're right. I'll go make some coffee for us, then I'll take my shower while you call Billy." She stood up, but paused as Lee stood up, grasped her hands, and looked directly into her eyes. "Amanda, how are you doing? After last night, I mean?"  
  
Her brown eyes never left his. "It's certainly not one of my favorite parts of this job, but I'm okay." She looked down, then back up. "Lee?" she started uncertainly, then stopped. "Oh, never mind." She started to pull away, but was stopped by Lee's insistent tug on her hands.  
  
"Amanda, talk to me. What is it?" The concern in his hazel eyes encouraged her.  
  
"Well." She paused and took a breath. "I was just wondering if I could ever really be a good agent if I react this way every time I see someone die." Amanda looked beseechingly up at him. "Lee, please tell me the truth.is this going to, you know, be a handicap for me? Because I don't know if I could change my reactions that way."  
  
Lee reached up to caress Amanda's cheek softly. "Don't ever change," he said huskily. "Every agent has different strengths and weaknesses, Amanda. Your empathy with others is your strength; you can read people better than anyone I've ever worked with. And if sometimes that empathy causes you to react as you did last night, well." he paused and shrugged, "that's all part of who you are. There's nothing wrong with that." Seeing that the question still remained in her eyes, he was quick to reassure her. "Amanda, you're already better than most agents; you are a natural at this job. A few tears and caring about other people won't change that!"  
  
Amanda reached up and placed a light kiss on Lee's lips. "Thanks. That means more to me than you'll ever know!" She hugged him tightly, then pushed him gently toward the bathroom, and said, "Go on, and don't leave your towel on the floor this time!"  
  
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Amanda was brushing her hair when Lee returned from the pay phone. He came up behind her and circled her waist with his hands, pulling her body close to his. "Mmmm, you smell delicious!" he said as he kissed her neck. He turned her around to face him and tossed the brush she was clutching onto the bed.  
"Lee..." Her words were cut off as Lee's lips descended onto hers for a lingering kiss. Breaking apart a few minutes later, she breathlessly commented, "As much as I'd love to continue this, I'm afraid we need to get to work."  
  
"Always the voice of reason," Lee grumbled good-naturedly as he released her. Amanda picked up her brush and began fixing her hair. "Billy said that the autopsy on Louise Warner wasn't completed yet, but as far as they could tell, she did not die of natural causes. It was some kind of poison; what kind, they're not sure yet. They don't know how it got into her system, but it was definitely foul play."  
  
Amanda turned to look at him. "She was murdered? Then she must have been the target I heard those two men talking about." She slammed the hairbrush down in agitation. "If only I had gotten a better look at them, I could've prevented this whole thing and she'd still be alive!"  
  
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself!" Lee reached out to hold her hands in his. "If you had gotten any closer to those two men, they would have seen you! Do you honestly think they would have let you live long enough to identify them? You did the best you could under the circumstances."  
  
Amanda nodded reluctantly. "I know you're right; I only wish I could have stopped them."  
  
"I know. We'll just have to nail their hides to the wall before they can hurt anyone else. We have a couple of leads that we can follow up on. You heard them mention 'Silvo', right? The name didn't mean anything to me, so Francine is running it through the computer. I thought it was a company, but nothing came up. I thought it might be a person. Would that fit with what you heard?"  
  
Amanda pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yeah, they said something about big bucks from Silvo. I guess I assumed they were talking about a company too, but." She pulled her hands out of Lee's and turned back to pick up her brush. Running it absently through her hair, she mused, "It could be.but what kind of name is Silvo? Is that a last name? A nickname?"  
  
"I don't know, but Francine's running it now. I'm supposed to call Billy back around noon. In the meantime, we need to interview some people who were there last night and see if we can track down this Barry person or if anyone saw anything suspicious."  
  
Amanda picked up a cardigan and slipped it on. "I'm ready. Who are we starting with?"  
  
""We might as well begin with Congressman Garcia. I know we already talked to him once, but he promised to have his aide get us a copy of the guest list." Lee put his hand in the small of Amanda's back and they headed for the stairs.  
  
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Several hours later, Lee and Amanda had no more information than they had before starting. "Well, that's everyone who is staying here in Solomons this weekend," commented Amanda as they walked along the dock. "There are still eight more guests on the list who drove back to DC last night." She paused and looked at Lee. "If we go to DC, I'd like to check in on Laura."  
  
Lee smiled fondly at his partner. "I know you would, and on Katie too, I'd bet." His eyes twinkled. "Someone's going to have to talk to both of them eventually, so I'll make sure it's us. Let me call Billy, then I guess we'll have to get a car somewhere. While I'm on the phone, why don't you go to the marina office and see if they have any information on car rentals. Then meet me back at the Matahari."  
  
Neither of them noticed the dark-haired man standing farther down the dock who raised a camera and took their picture.  
  
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When Amanda heard footsteps on the deck above her, she had just finished adding some homemade peanut butter cookies to the bag of food she'd packed. "I'm down here, Lee," she called. "I'll be right up." She filled a thermos with coffee, threw two styrofoam cups into the bag, then carried them up to the Matahari's deck.  
  
To her surprise, no one was there. "Lee?" She looked around and noticed a rock on the port-side bench. Setting the bag and thermos down, she slowly approached the spot, eyes darting back and forth for any other unexpected items. The rock was resting on a sheet of paper, presumably to keep it from blowing away. Amanda lifted the rock and picked up the note. On it, in block letters, was a curt message: "BUTT OUT OR ELSE!"  
  
Amanda whirled around and threw the rock as she felt a touch on her shoulder. Raising his arm, Lee effectively blocked the missile's path toward his head. "Amanda!" he cried out.  
  
"Oh, Lee," she gasped, "are you all right? I'm so sorry! I didn't hear you and after reading the note I didn't know who was behind me and I was afraid he had come back. I didn't know it was you; did I hurt you?" She held his arm to look at it. "I'm really sorry, but you need to stop sneaking up on me like that! Let me go get you some ice." She started to turn, but was stopped by Lee grabbing her hands.  
  
"Whoa, Amanda, slow down. My arm is fine! Now what note are you talking about?" She held up the hand which was still tightly clutching the message. As Lee read the warning, Amanda explained where and how she found it.  
  
"And you say this was only a minute or two before I came back?" At Amanda's nod, Lee grimaced and hugged Amanda tightly. "Thank God you're okay! That crackpot was right here on our boat and you were here all alone! You could have been hurt or worse, and I didn't even see anyone!"  
  
Amanda pulled back to look Lee in the eyes. "Lee, I'm sure whoever it was only wanted to leave that warning. He or she knew I was here, and didn't do anything to me." At Lee's puzzled look, Amanda continued, "I heard someone on the deck while I was in the galley, and I thought it was you, so I called out that I'd be right there. It was less than a minute later that I came up on deck, and no one was here."  
  
"God, Amanda," Lee groaned, embracing her again, "if you had seen that person, they would have done more than just leave a warning!"  
  
"Yeah, good thing I decided to stop and get us some coffee, huh?" Amanda's attempt to be light-hearted caused Lee to loosen his hold on her and look searchingly into her eyes. He shook his head slowly. "You never cease to amaze me! Have I told you lately how brave I think you are?"  
  
"Not in the last ten minutes or so," she quipped, glad to see Lee's mood lighten.  
  
"That's a serious oversight on my part." Lee smiled and gave her a tender kiss. "I do, you know," he said, more seriously. "I really admire the way you keep on going despite all the trouble we run into."  
  
Amanda lowered her eyes and a rosy color suffused her cheeks. "Lee-ee," she protested, "stop! It's just part of the job; we all do it every day. Now, why don't you fill me in on what Billy said while we go get that rental car." She picked up the thermos and bag of food. "The marina has a courtesy car that will drive us to the rental agency. They'll take us whenever we're ready."  
  
Lee gallantly took the bag and thermos from Amanda. He looked from them to her and raised his eyebrows. "What's all this?"  
  
"I just threw together a little lunch for us to eat on the way. It's almost a two hour drive from here, and I figured we wouldn't want to waste time stopping for food." She walked across the deck. "Let's go."  
  
"Amanda!" Lee caught up with his partner as she headed toward the marina office. He lowered his voice and looked around. "I want to wait until we're totally alone before telling you what Billy said. Who knows how close our mysterious messenger might be. We don't need to let anyone know where we're going. No sense taking any unnecessary risks."  
  
Amanda nodded her compliance, and kept conversation to neutral topics until they were in the blue Buick sedan on the way to DC.  
  
"Okay, Lee, we're alone now. What did Billy say?"  
  
"Well, Billy sent Olsen and Haney to interview the other people who were on Garcia's yacht. They haven't reported in yet, but should be back by the time we get there. Billy also told me that we could be the ones to talk to Laura and the Flemings."  
  
Amanda reached over and put her hand on Lee's arm. "Oh, Lee, thank you." She smiled as he glanced over. "I'll just feel so much better once I can see how they're doing."  
  
Lee returned her smile. "I already called both of them to let them know we'd be stopping by this afternoon." He took Amanda's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.  
  
His face sobered as he continued, "The autopsy report showed that Louise was definitely murdered. The poison, a particularly lethal combination of picrotoxin and strychnine known as PS-7, was probably given to her in her drink only minutes before she died. It's very fast-acting, usually lethal 5 to 10 minutes after being ingested." He felt Amanda shudder, and pressed her hand in sympathy. "Yeah, it's a particularly ugly way to die, that's for sure."  
  
He paused and glanced at his partner. "There is some progress to report. The police found Clarence Horn, the doctor who did the original autopsy on Thornley. Unfortunately, he was found in an abandoned warehouse with a bullet through his head."  
  
Amanda shook her head. "Whoever's behind this is really cold-blooded!"  
  
"And good at covering his tracks, too. Good thing you overheard those guys talking last night or we wouldn't have much to go on. The good news is that Francine was finally able to ID the name Silvo."  
  
Amanda turned to Lee. "Oh, Lee, that's wonderful news! Who, or what, is Silvo?"  
  
"Silvo is the nickname of a rising power in the Italian underworld. It's short for Sylvester Orciani, and he's been linked to some pretty nasty events in the last three years: bombings, blackmail, gangland-style executions, anything and everything that promotes his agenda. Now it seems he's branched out into the international scene. Rumors have placed him in London, Tehran, Havana, and Los Angeles, to name a few places. Francine is putting together a dossier for us, and the Agency's pulling in all the information they can get from informants."  
  
"What was his motive for the things he's done? And what could he possibly hope to achieve by these latest killings?"  
  
"What he's trying to do right now is a little murky. Hopefully we'll see a pattern soon. As to what motivated him in the past." Lee shrugged. "Money, jealousy, political corruption, you name it. This guy is really bad news."  
  
"We'll just have to stop him before he goes any further," Amanda stated firmly. "We just have to."  
  
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By the time they reached the Q Bureau, files were stacked on Lee's desk, and Amanda and Lee each carried additional papers in their hands.  
  
"Oh, my gosh, would you look at all this!" Amanda exclaimed, shuffling through the folders she was carrying. "I've got the autopsy reports, the background information on the caterers, statements of Congressman Garcia's other eight guests, and Olsen and Haney's follow-up report on the interviews." She looked up at Lee who was busily collecting the papers strewn across his desk. "What's all that?"  
  
Lee kept pushing papers haphazardly into the pile he was creating. "Looks like everything that was dug up on Silvo." He glanced at his watch. "I told Laura we'd be there in about half an hour. Let's just take all this with us and we can sort it on the way."  
  
Amanda set her folders down and crossed her arms indignantly. "What do you mean, 'we'? You'll be driving! I suppose you expect me to sort that mess out for you after the way you just shoved it all together!"  
  
Lee glanced at the untidy stack in his hands, then looked beseechingly at Amanda. "Well," he began hesitantly, "you know you are a lot better at organizing than I am." He futilely attempted to straighten the papers, only to have several sheets flutter to the floor.  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Stetson." Amanda bent to retrieve the papers that had escaped. Lee covered her hands as she placed them on top of his pile.  
  
"Please, Amanda?"  
  
"Please what?" she asked innocently.  
  
Lee groaned. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" Amanda shook her head. Lee sighed, then looked into her eyes. "Amanda, would you please organize these papers for me?"  
  
A smile tugged at Amanda's lips. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it? Of course I'll help you. Now, if you'll carry all of this to the car, we can get going."  
  
Lee smiled. "Thanks, Amanda. You're a great partner." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.  
  
"Is that the best you can do to show your gratitude?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Hey, that's my line," grumbled Lee jokingly. "And I can show my gratitude in a more appropriate fashion, but we're going to be late if I do that now." He placed his hand on her back as he guided her out of the door. Looking around furtively, he leaned closer and whispered, "Besides, Francine will show up or the phone will ring if I try to demonstrate now."  
  
Amanda chuckled. "You're right about that."  
  
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"Do you know if your mother had received any threatening notes in the last two months?" Amanda questioned Laura Warner as Lee relaxed in an overstuffed chair.  
  
"Well, yes," Laura answered slowly. "You see, I am.I was." Her voice caught in her throat and tears sprang to her eyes. Amanda put her arm around the younger woman's shoulders and handed her a tissue. After regaining her composure, she continued, "I was sort of a Gal Friday for my mother. Nothing official, you understand, my mother didn't want anyone to accuse her of nepotism. I mostly helped out around the house." She gestured vaguely at her surroundings, "And took care of all the correspondence that came here. I opened the first threat about 3 weeks ago and threw it away without even telling her about it." She paused and looked from Amanda to Lee. "I thought it was a hoax. Are you telling me that those notes are linked to my mother's.to her.?"  
  
Amanda glanced at Lee. At his nod, she turned back to Laura and took her hands. "Yes, Laura," she said gently, "Your mother's death was not an accident, and we're going to find out who did this to her."  
  
"We work for the government," Lee interjected, "and we're investigating the threats made against several members of Congress. We'd appreciate any information you can give us. What did the first threat say, do you remember?"  
  
"I'm not sure of the exact words, but it was something like 'Kill the bill or you will die.''' She pulled her hands out of Amanda's grasp and reached for another tissue. She twisted it absently in her fingers.  
  
"Laura, you said that was the first warning your mother got. How many more did she receive?" Amanda asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. Three or four, I guess. She was sitting right here when I opened the second one, so I showed it to her and told her about the first one. We both agreed that they weren't worth worrying about, so we tossed that one out too. After the next one arrived, I started to get worried, but Mother refused to see them as anything more than a prank. The last one came a few days ago. I didn't let her see it, because I knew she'd just get rid of it too. I was going to take it to the police after we got back from Congressman Garcia's party, but." She took a deep shuddering breath and began crying again.  
  
"Laura," Lee began, but stopped when Amanda gestured to him. She put her arms around Laura's shoulders and held her until the tears stopped.  
  
"Laura," Amanda said, "we would like to compare that letter to the others we've seen. Do you still have it?"  
  
"Yes, I do." Laura stood up and walked to the bookshelf. She pulled a volume out and removed a plastic bag. "I never took it out of the envelope. I slit the top open and peeked in to make sure it was one of those notes, then put it away until I could take it to the police." She held it out as though it were a poisonous snake. "Here, just take it. I.I don't even want to think about it any more."  
  
Amanda took the bag from Laura and handed it to Lee. "Laura, are you going to be all right here by yourself? Is there someone I can call to come be with you, or somewhere you'd like us to take you?"  
  
Laura shook her head and gave Amanda a watery smile. "No thanks. It's really kind of you to offer, but my brother is flying in this evening. I'll be fine."  
  
Amanda gave Laura a spontaneous hug. "Okay, if you're sure. Here's my number. If you need anything, just call, you hear me?"  
  
Amanda sighed as they drove away. "That poor girl." She paused, then added vehemently, "Lee, we just have to stop Silvo. I can't bear to think what he might try next."  
  
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Lee's eyes followed Amanda and Katie as the two women walked back into the house.  
  
"You know, Lee, your partner is a lovely woman." Steve's statement brought Lee's attention back to the redwood deck where they were sitting. "Hard to believe she works for the Agency."  
  
Lee cleared his throat and focused on the man sitting across from him. He felt jealousy stirring deep in his gut as he noticed the admiration on Steve's face. "Yes, well, Mrs. King has worked for the Agency for more than three years." He decided that Fleming didn't need to know that Amanda was divorced. In an attempt to shorten their visit with the Flemings, Lee got back to the reason for their visit. "We have assigned two men to guard you until we catch the person responsible. As you know, you were not the only one receiving threats. Both Louise Warner and Davis Thornley got similar letters before they were killed. We have determined that they were all written by the same person, and that the objective is the same in each case. You were all asked to stop a bill. What bill do the notes refer to?"  
  
Steve hesitated only a second before responding. "In our sub-committee, we were currently working on only one thing - a bill to limit the amount of mineral resources that can be exported." Steve paused as his brother came out of the house. "Brad, you remember Lee, don't you?"  
  
The younger man nodded. "Of course I do. Thank you for all you did for us." He gave Lee a firm handshake. "I don't know what I'd have done if anything happened to Katie. I can't thank you enough for saving her." After sitting in a chair, he turned toward Steve. "I just got off the phone with Mom. She said to tell you to call her later."  
  
Steve nodded in acknowledgment, then looked back at Lee. "That's the only bill we're working on now. It's not really that controversial."  
  
"Which countries would have the most to lose if the bill passes?" Lee asked.  
  
"Mostly Middle Eastern countries - Iraq, Jordan, Syria too. And probably some Central American countries won't like it very much either. We're trying to limit or bar exports to countries that are our political adversaries. Some businesses here in the US are just lining their pockets at the expense of foreign relations, and we're determined to stop it however we can."  
  
"Sounds like some companies here might have a lot to lose too." Lee rose as Amanda and Katie returned carrying a tray of drinks. "We'll get busy looking into the possibilities and any tie-ins with the leads we already have. Thanks for your time." He turned to leave, relieved to be able to get Amanda away from Steve so easily.  
  
"Lee," Amanda said with a smile at Katie, "Katie has invited us to stay for dinner. We don't really need to leave just yet, do we?"  
  
"Yes, please stay," Katie chimed in. "I haven't had a chance to thank you properly yet for saving my life, and even though dinner won't even begin to repay you, I would really like to do something to show my gratitude. You just can't say no."  
  
Between Katie's pressure, and the plea in Amanda's eyes, Lee felt his resistance crumbling. "Well, I guess we have to eat somewhere," he said, silently pledging to keep Amanda away from Steve as much as possible. "But we can't stay too long; we need to stop at the office before heading back tonight."  
  
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The man standing behind the bar exuded a sense of power and authority. His brown eyes, normally a shade lighter than his hair, were now almost black with anger. In a tightly controlled voice, he greeted the man quivering before him. "Aah, Victor, you have returned. And this time I hope you have good news for me?"  
  
"Yes, sir, Mr. Orciani, sir." Victor 'Barry' Barelli reluctantly approached the counter, clutching an envelope in his hand.  
  
"Good, good." The smooth voice lost none of its venom. "I would hate to think what kind of 'accident' might befall you if you had failed me again." He placed a shot glass on the bar, poured whiskey in it, and pushed toward the nervous man in front of him.  
  
"No, Mr. Orciani, sir, I mean, yes sir, I mean." He stopped to down the whiskey in one gulp, then handed the envelope to his boss. "I've ID'd them both. Their names are Amanda King and Lee Stetson. They work for the Agency."  
  
Orciani's eyebrows raised in surprise. "The Agency? How did the Agency get involved?"  
  
"Well, sir, near as me and Gerry can figure it, these two are the ones who saved Fleming's life. We guess that maybe he showed them the notes or something, 'cause next thing you know, they showed up here in Solomons."  
  
"Where are they now?"  
  
Barelli swallowed nervously and licked his suddenly dry lips. "Well, Gerry followed them when they left here this morning, but he lost them."  
  
"He lost them? How did that imbecile lose them?" Orciani's volume increased with every word.  
  
Looking longingly at the bottle of whiskey and the empty glass in his hands, Barelli squeaked, "Well, they are trained agents." Seeing the fury building on the face of the man behind the bar, he added hastily, "But their boat is still here, so they'll have to come back sometime. Gerry's watching it right now."  
  
Through clenched teeth, Orciani hissed, "You go bring that fool Gerry to me. I'll deal with him myself." He wrapped his fingers around the neck of the whiskey bottle, and smashed it on the counter. Holding the broken neck, he shook it threateningly in Barelli's face. "And don't you warn him either, or you'll face the same fate."  
  
Barelli flinched, and shook his head. "No, sir, Mr. Orciani, sir, I'll just tell him that you need to see him, but I won't tell him why." He slowly backed away.  
  
"One more thing, Victor."  
  
Barelli stopped and looked fearfully at the ruthless man in front of him. "Ye-e-es, sir?"  
  
"When we're done dealing with your 'friend' Gerry, I expect you to take care of those two agents. And the solution needs to be a permanent one. Do I make myself clear?" The menace was evident in both the tone of voice and the expression on Orciani's face. "You'd better not let me down again."  
  
Shaking his head and edging inch by inch to the door, Barelli cleared his throat. "No, sir, I won't let you down, sir, thank you for another chance, Mr. Orciani, sir." He turned and fled into the darkness.  
  
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Lee paced back and forth in Billy's office, then flopped into a chair. "I don't know, Billy. We have all this information on this guy, yet no one seems to know where he is or even what he looks like right now."  
  
"What about the interviews Olsen and Haney did with the other party guests?" Billy asked. "Did any of them see anything?"  
  
"According to the follow-up report, it was a dead end. Amanda and I haven't had a chance to read the transcripts of the interviews yet, but unless there's something they overlooked." Lee shook his head in frustration. "Billy, I think I'll go back to the Matahari tonight. I have a feeling it might be a good way to smoke these guys out. Someone tried to follow us when we left Solomons and I wouldn't be surprised if they were waiting for me to come back." Lee stopped as Francine knocked on the door. Billy waved her in.  
  
"Here's the report on the last letter Louise Warner got. We may have just gotten a break on this one." Francine handed the report to Lee. "There was a partial fingerprint on the edge of the note, and after running it through the computer, we came up with a match."  
  
"Victor Barelli, aka, Barcelona Barry," Lee read from the file he held. "This could be the 'Barry' Amanda overheard at the party."  
  
"Speaking of Amanda, where is the happy housewife?" quipped Francine.  
  
Lee glared at her. "Francine, can the snide remarks! If you must know, I sent Amanda home."  
  
"Oh, aren't we a little sensitive today Stetson? What's the matter? Amanda's stamina run out, did it?"  
  
Lee stood up angrily. "Francine, I'll have you know Amanda's stamina is as good as ever!"  
  
She arched an eyebrow and grinned.  
  
Before she could say anything else, Lee glared at her. "That's not what I.you know I.just forget it! It's none of your business!"  
  
Francine put up her hands in surrender.  
  
"People, please!" Billy stood up and placed his hands on his desk. "Francine, see what you can dig up on Barelli's whereabouts." Lee stood up to follow Francine out the door, but paused when Billy added, "I want a word with you, Scarecrow." Francine smirked and went into the bullpen, closing the door behind her.  
  
"What is it, Billy?"  
  
"Why did you send Amanda home?" Billy questioned. "I don't want you down there with no back-up. This is not a one-man job. I want you to call her back in here right now. Besides, you know Amanda won't like you leaving her out of this, and when she finds out she'll just follow you anyway."  
  
Lee smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry; I wasn't planning on going without her. I just sent her home to pack some more clothes. Who knows how long we'll be down there. She should be back any minute."  
  
"That's good." Billy smiled. "I was afraid you were up to your old lone wolf tricks, and Amanda would never let me hear the end of it if I let you go alone."  
  
"Well, she certainly can be determined, can't she?" Lee laughed.  
  
Billy chuckled, "That's one way to put it, especially when she's worried about you."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Look Billy, I'll check in around 9:30 tonight. I've got to swing by my place to get some more clothes, then it'll take us a couple hours to drive back down there, and it's already almost 7:00. Hopefully by then, Francine will have something more on Barelli."  
  
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Lee carried their two bags of clothing as he and Amanda walked along the dock toward the Matahari. "Look, Amanda, after we put these in the cabin, I have to call Francine for an update, and I want you to come with me to the pay phone. Someone followed us earlier when we left here, and I don't think it's safe for you to be alone, especially since they know where we're staying."  
  
"Someone followed us? And you didn't tell me?"  
  
"It wasn't really important; I lost them before we even left the county." They climbed aboard, then headed for the stairs leading below.  
  
As Lee put the suitcases on the beds, he noticed a piece of paper flutter to the floor. Grabbing a tissue, he bent over to pick the paper up. Holding it gingerly, he lifted it into the light.  
  
Amanda moved closer. "What's tha..oh." Her voice trailed away as she saw what Lee had. "'GET LOST OR YOU'RE NEXT!'" she read aloud.  
  
"Amanda." Lee began as he turned towards her.  
  
"Lee Stetson, you just stop right there before you say another word! I am not going home! We are partners, and partners work together!" Amanda glared at Lee.  
  
"Okay, okay, just promise me that you'll stay close. I don't want you to be alone."  
  
The frown faded from Amanda's face. "I promise. That way I won't have to worry about you going off alone either." She smiled at Lee. "Let's go make that phone call."  
  
"Hey, Francine, it's Lee. Look, leave a message for Billy, would you? What?.He is?.Okay, I'll hold on." He covered the receiver with his hand. "Billy's still there. Something must be going on if he didn't leave yet.Yeah, Billy, listen. We found another one of those letters when we got back here tonight. Do you want me to bring it to the office tomorrow?.What?.." Lee listened intently for a few minutes. "Thanks. That's great!.Sure, we can do that. 10:00? No problem, we'll be there."  
  
Lee took Amanda's hand as they walked back to the Matahari. "Billy said Francine found a picture of Barelli. He wants us to look at it and see if it rings any bells. He's sending Fielder down here tomorrow morning to bring it and to pick up the note we found. Francine's still trying to track down Silvo and Barelli, and I wouldn't be surprised if Barelli is still right here."  
  
"Lee," questioned Amanda thoughtfully, "do you think that Silvo might be down here too? You know, running the show from behind the scenes?"  
  
"Anything is possible. We'd better take turns standing watch tonight, just in case. I'll take the first watch while you get some sleep."  
  
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The morning sun glinted off the water in the marina. A lone man ambled along the water's edge in a seemingly aimless way, but the eyes behind the sunglasses were completely aware of his surroundings. After determining that he was unobserved, he slipped silently aboard the Matahari, and crept down the steps.  
  
Amanda set two mugs beside the coffee pot. She had just opened the door of the refrigerator when she heard a sound behind her. Without turning around, she said, "Lee, I know you're there, so don't even try to sneak up on me. Besides, I thought you were going to take your shower now."  
  
Before she could turn around, a cloth was held firmly over her mouth and nose. The container she was holding fell to the floor, and cream splattered everywhere as she collapsed in her attacker's arms. He lowered her to the floor, then reached into his jacket to pull out the hypodermic secreted there.  
  
Lee took one last look around the bathroom. Spying his towel in a ball on the floor, he picked it up and placed it over the hook on the door. 'There,' he thought, 'now it's ready.' Proud that he had remembered this time, he headed to the galley.  
  
The sight that greeted him froze him in place for a split second. "No-o-o- o-o!" he yelled. He yanked on the shoulders of a man crouched over Amanda's slender body lying crumpled on the floor. Lee spun the intruder around and threw a well-placed blow to his jaw, knocking him to the ground. Barely pausing to make sure the man was unconscious, Lee rushed to Amanda's side. Sniffing cautiously at the rag on the floor beside her, he recognized the scent of chloroform. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to the cabin and carefully placed her on the bed. Lee watched her face intently and checked her pulse. Gently stroking the hair back from her forehead, Lee called her name softly. Her eyelids flickered and slowly opened before she squeezed them shut with a moan.  
  
"It's okay, Amanda. Everything's going to be all right. You just stay here and rest and I'll be right back." He placed a kiss on her forehead, then strode purposefully back to the galley where he found Amanda's assailant groaning, but not fully conscious. Lee grabbed the man's shirt, hauled him to his feet, and roughly pushed him against the wall. He pinned Barelli there as he frisked him, then held up the needle he had found on the floor.  
  
"Did you use this on her? What's in here?" Lee's eyes burned with anger. He brought his face within inches of the attacker's, and shook Barelli as he hissed, "Talk to me, you low life!"  
  
Victor Barelli knew he was in deep trouble. The agent before him looked ready to explode, and 'Barry' was the target of all that wrath. Of course, even if by some miracle he could get away, Silvo would have his head. He swallowed nervously as his mind replayed the callous way Orciani had shot his friend Gerry, then ordered him to 'take care' of the body. He decided that the man standing before him was his best chance to live. "Please don't hurt me, please don't. I'll tell you everything, just don't hurt me."  
  
"What's in this?" Lee's eyes blazed and his hands tightened on Barelli's collar as he envisioned this man injuring Amanda.  
  
"It's PS-7, but I never got the chance to use it on her, I swear." Beads of nervous sweat dripped off Barelli's forehead.  
  
"You better be telling me the truth! If she's hurt you'll regret the day you were born!" Lee spat the words out as he looked at the syringe. The relief was almost overwhelming when he realized that it was still completely full.  
  
"Lee." A soft touch on his arm accompanied the whispered word. When Lee turned around and saw Amanda, he felt his anger begin to wane.  
  
"Amanda, you shouldn't be out here! You need to lie down!"  
  
"I'm okay. I just have a headache."  
  
At the reminder, Lee felt his blood start to simmer again. He turned back to Barelli and slammed him into the wall, using his forearm to pin the nasty worm in place before he squashed him. He struggled to control the raging fury boiling inside him.  
  
"Lee." Again the soft voice halted his actions. She shook her head slowly back and forth and begged him with her eyes to stop.  
  
Lee loosened his grip and took a deep breath. "Okay, Amanda, you're right." He glanced at the man he was holding, then back to Amanda. "Go look under the bench in the dining area and see if you can find a pair of handcuffs." He kept Barelli pinned against the wall until Amanda returned with the desired item in her hands. "One of the advantages of using the Agency's boat; it comes with all the nicer amenities. There, that should hold our friend for a while." He cuffed him to the handle of the stove.  
  
Satisfied that Barelli was secure, Lee led Amanda out of the galley. He turned to her and cupped her face in his hands. "Don't you ever stay put? You should be resting. As soon as I'm done getting the information out of this jerk, I'm taking you to the hospital."  
  
"No." One word, spoken with finality.  
  
"But."  
  
"I'm fine, Lee." Although the words were soft, her determination was clear. "Just fine."  
  
He ran his hand through his hair, then touched her cheek tenderly. "Okay, you win. But I'm not leaving you alone any more."  
  
"Promise?" Amanda raised her lips to his and gave him a soft kiss.  
  
Lee gathered her close and returned the kiss. "I promise. Now let's go see what this scum knows."  
  
Lee and Amanda found Barelli exactly where they had left him - cuffed to the stove. "Let's start over, shall we?" Lee leaned against the cabinets. "What's your name and who do you work for?"  
  
"My name's Victor Barelli. I work for Mr. Orciani, Sylvester Orciani. At least I used to work for him, only now that you caught me, he'll get rid of me for sure - in a permanent manner, if you get my drift?" He drew his finger across his throat in a slicing motion. "So you've gotta protect me." He shivered and looked over his shoulder as though expecting to see his boss standing there with a machine gun in his hand. "Maybe you have someplace real, real secure so he'll never find me? I don't care if I have to stay locked up there forever, as long as he can't get me. And I'll tell you anything you want to know about him. Whaddya wanna know?"  
  
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"Hey, Silvo, you down there?" The voice called through the open hatch of the yacht Silver Wing.  
  
Orciani climbed the stairs without answering, then strode angrily over to his visitor. "Joseph, you know I don't like that nickname. I've killed men for less."  
  
"I know, but your little sister wouldn't be the least bit happy if you hurt her husband, so I'm not too worried."  
  
Orciani stared coldly at the man before him. Dressed entirely in black, eyes shielded by dark sunglasses, and cigarette smoke curling around his head, Joseph Rossi looked like a stereotypical gangster. "Don't be too cocky, Joseph; nothing in life is certain, even if you are my brother-in- law."  
  
"Look, Sylvester, I apologize, okay? I flew in the moment I got your message. What's so important that you had to drag me away from the factory right now? You know we're in a very delicate position there, with the war going on."  
  
"Don't tell me how to run my business, Joseph. I know how important that operation is, but if I don't get some competent help here, we won't be getting any more shipments of molybdenum from the US, and that will put an end to our missile-making." Orciani paused to let his words sink in. In one motion, he snatched Rossi's sunglasses off. "Let me see your eyes when I talk to you, Joseph. Be polite." He folded the sunglasses, placed them in his pocket, and continued, "I sent for you because I need the best. Those two fools I hired give Italians a bad name. The deaths that were supposed to look like accidents are now being investigated, thanks to their incompetence. You and me, Joseph, we're going to take care of this once and for all. We can't touch any more members of that Congressional committee; they're being too well protected. But I have a plan that will derail the Export Limitation Bill for good. You are going to take care of a couple of federal agents and their informer, while I'll be making sure that Mr. August Donaldson, the Secretary of the Interior, is suitably impressed by our demands to kill that bill."  
  
Orciani turned toward the stairs. "Come have some coffee with me, and I'll tell you all about your targets."  
  
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"I see him; he just got here." Amanda put the binoculars down and pointed to the nondescript brown sedan that was pulling into a parking spot.  
  
"Perfect timing. Let's get our 'friend' and deliver him to Fred." Lee turned to go back down the stairs. He reappeared a few minutes later, propelling a handcuffed and cowering Barelli in front of him.  
  
Barelli cast nervous glances around him as they walked along the dock. Once inside the Agency vehicle, he hunched down in a tense ball. "Get me outta here before Silvo sees me," he muttered.  
  
Fred shot a puzzled glance at Lee, who sighed and said, "Let's all go for a ride, shall we?" He opened the front door for Amanda, then slid into the back seat with their captive. "Just drive up Route 4 for a while, will you Fred? We need to find somewhere quiet to talk."  
  
Five minutes later, the sedan turned onto a dirt road and drove until the highway was no longer in sight. Barelli sneaked a peek out the windows, and relaxed when he realized they were encircled by woods. "Hey, uh, Mr. Stetson sir, I really need to take a little break over by those trees, if you get my drift?"  
  
Lee shot a disgusted look at Barelli. "Mr. Fielder will go with you so don't try anything funny." Lee handed the keys for the cuffs to Fred, then moved into the driver's seat and picked up the car phone. He shot an amused glance at his partner as she flushed and stared with intense absorption at her hands while the two men walked away from the car. He had almost finished his update to Billy when shots rang out.  
  
"Amanda, get down!" Lee yelled. He pulled his gun out of its holster, opened the car door, and crouched behind it. Scanning the surroundings, he noticed Barelli lying prone on the ground, while Fred was pulling himself into the cover of some bushes. A rustling sound caused Lee to freeze in place and scrutinize the underbrush carefully. He spotted a figure creeping slowly toward Fred's hiding place. Lee cautiously ran to the nearest tree.  
  
"Hold it right there!" he ordered, aiming his gun at the assailant, who froze in place. "Toss your gun aside and slowly turn around." The man tossed the gun onto the ground, then whirled around quickly, pulled out another gun, and shot at Lee. Lee dove for cover. He peered around the tree, and hastily jerked his head back as a bullet ripped into the bark. Several shots were exchanged as each man tried to outmaneuver the other, and neither noticed when the car door opened slowly.  
  
Amanda had taken enough glances to realize that Fred was out of commission, and that Lee's only hope of back-up lay with her. She crept out of the car, staying hidden behind the door, then lobbed several items in quick succession into a pile of leaves to the attacker's left. The noises distracted the man long enough for Lee to tackle him to the ground, wrestle the gun out of his hand, and subdue him with a quick punch to the jaw.  
  
"Here, Lee, catch!" Lee looked up just in time to see Amanda toss him a pair of handcuffs, which he used to secure the man's wrist to a nearby tree.  
  
"Fred, are you all right?" called Amanda as she hurried toward him.  
  
"I'm okay; just caught a bullet in the arm. I don't think Barelli fared too well though."  
  
Lee retrieved the discarded gun from the ground as he headed for Barelli. He stooped down to check for any sign of life and shook his head. "You're right - I think his luck just ran out. Fred, we need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible, and .oh, no, where'd he go?" A pair of opened handcuffs was all that remained of their captive. "We need to get out of here right now. That guy could come back any minute, and I don't plan on being here when he does." He helped Fred to the car, and got him settled in the back seat. "Will you be all right until we get back to DC?" Fred nodded. "We'll have to leave Barelli's body for now, and.Amanda, what are you doing?" He stared in amazement as his partner dug through a pile of leaves.  
  
"Lee, I have to find.oh, there's my wallet.and my mirror.but where is.got it!" She stood up and triumphantly waved her lipstick at him. "I had to find these before we left, that's all." She walked toward the car, pulled out her purse, and placed the items inside it.  
  
"But how.I mean.where?" Lee sputtered in confusion. He ran his fingers through his hair and tried again. "Amanda, how did your things get way over there?"  
  
"I threw them over there to distract that man. I knew I had to help you somehow, and that was the only thing I could think of. I mean, I knew that his other gun was on the ground over there," she waved her hand vaguely, "but you know how I feel about guns, so I just used what I had on hand and threw stuff from my purse in that pile of dry leaves, and he looked away from you just as I'd planned, and then you were able to disarm him, so my idea worked, wouldn't you say?"  
  
Lee smiled. "Yes, it did and it was quick thinking on your part. Now, can we please leave before that goon comes back?"  
  
They drove out to the main highway and headed north. Amanda glanced into the back seat where Fred was resting with his eyes closed. "Lee, what about Barelli? I know he's dead, but I feel really bad leaving his body there like that."  
  
"It's okay, Amanda; we'll have a team pick him up. I'll ask Billy to send one down here to take care of it. And it might not be a bad idea to have them check out the Matahari too."  
  
"The Matahari? Why?"  
  
"After the things that have happened today, it's obvious that Silvo is trying to kill us, and he knows where we're staying. I don't think we should go back there until we're sure it's safe."  
  
Amanda shook her head ruefully. "What am I going to tell Mother? First I tell her I won't be home because we're filming a documentary on sailing, then I say I stopped by just to grab more clothes because it's taking longer than we thought, and now I'm going back without any luggage!"  
  
"You don't have to go home, you know. You could always stay at my place." Lee winked at her suggestively, then grinned.  
  
Amanda blushed and lowered her head. "Shhh, Lee-ee, Fred will hear you!"  
  
Lee reached for Amanda's hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about it. He's sound asleep. Anyway, if he heard anything at all, he'd just chalk it up to normal Scarecrow behavior." He looked quickly into the mirror at Fred, who hadn't moved. Lifting Amanda's hand to his lips, Lee kissed it gently. "There's no way he'd ever believe that I..." He broke off abruptly as Fred stirred and mumbled. After another kiss to her knuckles, Lee placed her hand back on the seat and released it with a sigh. "You're right, Amanda, this isn't a good place for this conversation."  
  
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Lee leaned over to get a closer look at the computer. "No, his nose was longer than that and had a bump like it had been broken." Lee looked at Amanda, then back at the facial composite taking shape on the screen before them. "Good, now just a little more hair hanging over his ears, and a scar across his right eyebrow. That's it. What do you think, Amanda?"  
  
She nodded, "Yes, it looks just like the man who shot at us. Now, how do we find out who it is?"  
  
"Oh, we'll just leave that to Ernie while we go grab something to eat. By the time we come back, I'll bet he has put a name to this face."  
  
Amanda stood and picked up her purse. The two agents exited the room and walked toward the elevator. "Who's Ernie?"  
  
"He is a guy that can look through thousands of pictures in less time than it would take a normal person to go through fifty. The Agency is very fortunate to have him. Right now, we need to get some food in us. Neither one of us has had anything but coffee today."  
  
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They were unprepared for the uproar that greeted them when they returned an hour later. Agents scurried quickly in many directions and the normally quiet Agency hallway reverberated with the sound of Billy Melrose's voice, raised to almost a shout.  
  
"I know he's on his way - just send Scarecrow here the instant he arrives!" Spotting his best team as they exited the elevator, he roared, "Never mind! He's here!"  
  
"Billy, what's going on?" Lee asked as the two agents stepped into the hallway.  
  
"Sir?" Amanda chimed in.  
  
"Come to my office, you two, and I'll fill you in." Billy beckoned to Francine, who stood up with a folder in her hand, followed them in, and turned to close the door. "Silvo has made another move, only this time, it's against August Donaldson."  
  
"The Secretary of the Interior?" Amanda gasped.  
  
"Yes." Billy sat down heavily in the chair behind his desk. "A little over an hour ago, Donaldson's wife and daughters were snatched from the parking lot of Fairway Shopping Center. The witness who reported the kidnapping saw them being forced into a black sedan, which sped off. A note was found on the windshield of the Donaldson's van."  
  
Francine opened the folder she was holding and held out a piece of paper. "Here is a copy of the note. No signature, no fingerprints. Printed in block letters on inexpensive stationery you can pick up anywhere."  
  
Lee took the paper in his hand, and read the brief message aloud. "'Donaldson - either HR 1148 dies or your family does. I'll be in touch.' Billy, has Donaldson heard anything else?"  
  
"Not yet. We've got a tap on his phone and agents stationed outside his house in a surveillance van. When contact is made, we'll know. Until then, we're playing a waiting game."  
  
Lee paced back and forth in agitation. "Any luck tracing that yacht Barelli said he rented for Silvo?"  
  
Francine nodded her head. "It's docked in the Solomons marina, but it's deserted."  
  
Lee stopped and looked at Francine. "And we don't have any idea where he is now? Just a vague description of a black sedan?"  
  
"We're checking car rental agencies, but that's going to take quite a while." Francine shook her head. "And he probably used a phony ID anyway."  
  
"Ernie did get us an ID on that guy who shot at you this." A brisk knock at the door interrupted what Billy had been about to say. "Come!" he called.  
  
Beaman poked his head in. "A call just came in to Donaldson's." He walked over and flipped a switch on the wall.  
  
".do you want?" a shaking voice asked.  
  
"Listen. I want you to remove your support for that bill, and I want it done at a press conference. With a live broadcast. Set it up for an hour from now. I'll be listening, and when you've done what I've said, I'll get back to you."  
  
"But what about my family? Can't I at least talk to them?" A click was his only answer.  
  
Billy opened his office door. "Status report?" he called into the bullpen.  
  
One operative shook his head. "We couldn't get a trace on the number; he hung up too soon."  
  
"Let's listen to that call again. Set it up in the audio room; we can do a transcript later." Billy turned back to the people assembled in his office. "Beaman, check in with the surveillance team and see if anything has changed. Francine, Lee, Amanda, come with me."  
  
The small audio room was soundproofed so that no outside noises could interfere with listening. They all listened intently.  
  
"Donaldson, I have your family and you will follow my instructions if you want to see them again."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Listen. I want you to remove your support."  
  
When the tape ended, Billy turned to the technician. "Can we identify the voice?"  
  
"Well, we can try, but it's almost impossible without a comparison tape."  
  
"I was afraid of that."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Yes, Amanda?"  
  
"I think I heard some noises in the background. Is there any way we can hear them better?"  
  
Billy turned toward the console. "Try to isolate those sounds, Tom."  
  
After several minutes, Tom stated, "There, that should do it." He pressed play. Several seconds of a distant roaring sound was followed by a few notes played by bells. The slapping sound of water was obvious just before the tape ended.  
  
"Water, he's near water somewhere. Maybe next to a pier or something similar," Billy stated.  
  
"Maybe on a boat?"  
  
"That's a good thought, Lee. We know he used a boat in Solomons, so it's possible he's using one here too." Billy opened the door and waved an agent to him. "Haney, I need you to check on all boat rentals made in the last 3 hours. Find out what the renter's name was, what they looked like, and the name and description of each boat." He closed the door.  
  
"Can we please listen to that first sound again?" Amanda asked.  
  
At Billy's nod, Tom rewound the tape and started it. After the roaring sound, he paused the tape and looked around the room. Lee and Amanda nodded. "Airplane," they said in unison.  
  
Francine added, "Yes, but it's pretty far away. I don't see how that will help at all."  
  
Billy gestured, and the tape started again. Bells played three notes. Amanda shook her head. "No, I can't quite get that, although I know I've heard it before."  
  
"What's the matter, Amanda? Not ringing any bells?" The four people in the audio room turned to glare at Francine. "Sorry, sorry." She lifted her hands in surrender. "I was just trying to lighten the mood a little."  
  
Billy turned back to the audio technician. "Let's hear that one again."  
  
Amanda closed her eyes and listened intently. She knew she had heard that sequence of notes before. She sat up abruptly and opened her eyes. "It's part of the Westminster Chimes! That means he was near a church or something." Her face fell. "But there must be dozens of places that play that."  
  
"It wouldn't hurt to get a list." Billy opened the door again and called, "Spalding, get me a list of all the places in the area that play the Westminster Chimes. Oh, and I only want the ones that use bells."  
  
He turned back to the audio technician. "Tom, keep working with that tape and let me know if you come up with anything else. Maybe we'll get lucky enough to get a voice match."  
  
Lee turned to Billy. "You said that Ernie was able to identify that guy who was shooting at us this morning. Who is he?"  
  
"Let's go back to my office. I have the file on my desk; you can take a look. Francine, tell Chambers, Spalding, Beaman, Haney, and Olsen that we're going to have a briefing in Conference Room 1 in ten minutes. Then get me the flight paths of all planes during the time frame of the phone call. Lee, Amanda, come with me."  
  
In his office, Billy picked up a folder and gave it to Lee, who took out a photo. "That's him, all right."  
  
He handed the picture to Amanda. She nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir, that's the man who shot at us. Who is he?"  
  
Lee scanned the information in the dossier. "His name is Joseph Rossi; he's originally from Naples, Italy. Graduated from the University of Rome with a business degree. Married Marie Orciani in 1979."  
  
Amanda looked at Lee. "Orciani? You mean he married Silvo's sister?"  
  
"Looks that way. Let's see.Rossi is currently working in Um Quasr, Iraq, at a factory that manufactures airplanes. Billy, do we know anything about this factory? And does it tie in with Silvo in any way?"  
  
"I put Chambers on it as soon as this report came through. Hopefully he'll have some information for us soon. Lee, I'll want you to hit the highlights on Silvo at the briefing. Amanda, make some copies of the picture of Rossi to distribute."  
  
"Right, Billy, we'll see you in a few minutes then." Lee opened the door for Amanda, then followed her out into the bullpen.  
  
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Billy looked at the group assembled in the conference room. "You all know why we're here and that we're short on time. Let's be brief. Scarecrow?"  
  
Lee stood up. "We're assuming that Sylvester Orciani, also known as Silvo, is the one responsible for kidnapping Donaldson's wife and daughters. We know that Silvo is behind the deaths of the members of Congress, and that he's determined to stop passage of HR 1148. We don't have a photo of him, and the only description is that he is around 5'10", weighs about 175 pounds, and has dark brown hair. He is a ruthless terrorist who will stop at nothing to reach his goals. However, we do have a picture of Joseph Rossi, the man who shot Fielder. Familiarize yourselves with him. He's closely linked to Silvo, so be on the lookout for both of these men." Lee sat back down next to Amanda.  
  
"Beaman, did the surveillance team have anything new to report?" Billy asked.  
  
"No, nothing." Beaman shook his head. "No one has made contact since the phone call."  
  
"Haney?"  
  
"I checked all the boat rentals in the area, and there were only three hired during that time period. One was to a group of college students, one to a family, and the third to a man calling himself 'James Riling'. The boat rented by Riling was a 55' ketch called the Quest."  
  
"Let's fax a copy of this picture of Rossi to the three rental agencies, and see if any of them can identify him." At Billy's words, Haney stood up and left the room.  
  
Chambers opened the file in front of him when Billy nodded in his direction. "The Afaq Factory, located in Um Quasr, Iraq, has been under Agency scrutiny for many years. Three years ago, the factory was sold to a group calling themselves the Coalition, who re-organized it. A few months ago, the plant began showing a hefty profit; one that could not be explained by sales of airplanes. They also began importing much more molybdenum than they could possibly need for the aircraft they were producing. As you know, molybdenum is an important component in making metal tougher and able to resist higher temperatures, and is also used in manufacturing missiles. These two facts raised a red flag, so we did some undercover investigating and found out that anti-aircraft missiles were being produced. Our agents in Iraq are still trying to track down where those missiles are being sold, but with the current unrest in the Middle East, it's a pretty safe bet that they're being marketed right in that area."  
  
"Well, people, it looks like we know what Silvo is up to, but we still need to track him down somehow." Billy turned to the man to his right. "Spalding, did you get that information on the Westminster chimes?"  
  
"Yes, I did, and I've made a copy of a list of all the sites for everyone. Unfortunately, it covers a pretty wide area."  
  
Billy nodded as he looked at the sheet in front of him. "We'll just have to narrow it down a bit. We need to focus only on the ones that are near water and under today's flight paths. Francine has that information, so we just need to cross-reference. Francine?"  
  
"Since the Donaldson family was in Springfield when they were snatched, and the call came an hour later, we can eliminate all the flights from BWI. That leaves us with flights to and from Dulles and Washington National. Since Dulles is not near any water, we can eliminate it. That leaves flights to and from National, and only the ones along the Potomac. Looking at Spalding's list, I'd say we need to focus on these three possible areas." Francine pointed to the map. "Here, here, and here."  
  
Billy stood up. "Spalding and Beaman, you cover the first site; Olsen, grab Haney and you two take the second one; Stetson and King, go to the third. Chambers and Desmond, I want you to be on standby, ready to provide backup when we find this scum. We've instructed Donaldson what to say to the reporters, and the news conference is in half an hour. Okay, people, let's move! I'd like you to be in position before Donaldson goes on the air."  
  
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Lee steered the Agency sedan into a parking spot. Just as he turned off the ignition, the phone rang. He reached over and snagged the receiver. "Scarecrow here.okay, got it." He turned to Amanda as he hung up. "The attendant at Metro Marine Rental has positively identified Rossi as the man calling himself 'Riling'. So we're definitely looking for the boat called Quest. The Agency helicopter already made a quick sweep of the Potomac, but saw no sign of it. So, that means it's got to be anchored somewhere where trees are shielding it from sight."  
  
Lee came around the car and opened the door for Amanda just as a 747 passed overhead.  
  
"Lee, I bet that boat is tied up somewhere on Theodore Roosevelt Island. It's isolated enough that no one could wander by accidentally, but it's close enough to the Netherlands Carillon that the chimes could be heard."  
  
"You could be right, Amanda." Lee shaded his eyes and scanned the visible shoreline. "They're probably not on this side of the island, but we need to be sure." He leaned back into the car and rummaged around under the seat, emerging with a pair of binoculars in his hand. He carefully scrutinized the water's edge. "No, there's no one anchored in this area. Let's go." He returned the binoculars to the car, and turned to grasp Amanda's hand in his. "Remember, these guys play rough, so stay close."  
  
Hand-in-hand, Lee and Amanda crossed the pedestrian bridge to the island. "Lee, I think we should go this way." Amanda gestured to the left. "If we take the path on the right, it will take us near the I-66 bridge on the southern tip. I don't think Silvo would risk being that close to a well- traveled road."  
  
Lee nodded in agreement, and they began walking. As they neared the northern end of the island, Lee stopped and leaned close to Amanda's ear. "This is where we leave the path," he whispered. "We'll go down to the water here, then work our way around the edge of the island."  
  
They crept quietly through the wooded area until they could see the river. Easing from tree to tree, they inspected every likely spot for any signs of The Quest. Suddenly, Lee stopped dead in his tracks. Amanda, who had been focused on the water's edge, crashed into his back. Turning quickly, Lee grabbed Amanda's arms to help her keep her balance, then pointed to a spot on the shoreline. Amanda's eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of white through the trees. Stepping carefully, Lee and Amanda worked their way closer until they could see that the trees were hiding a carefully concealed boat.  
  
"Lee," Amanda whispered, "Can you see the name of the boat?"  
  
He murmured, "It's the Quest all right. Look, Amanda, Silvo probably has a lookout posted, so keep your eyes open and let me know if you see anyone."  
  
They edged slowly closer. Amanda clutched Lee's arm, and pointed to the deck of the boat. Lee nodded to show her that he had also seen the man standing at the bow. Amanda tugged on Lee's arm and beckoned him to lean closer. "Listen, Lee, does that sound like a child crying to you?"  
  
He listened intently and heard a muffled sobbing. Nodding his head, he said quietly, "Well, at least we know they're still alive. Let's get this over with. I need you to distract that guy so I can take him out. Wait until I get over to that clump of bushes, then make a lot of noise. That should get him to turn his back long enough for me to get to him."  
  
As he turned, Amanda grabbed his arm and said, "Lee, be careful! I think that's Joseph Rossi on the boat."  
  
Lee looked at the man standing guard. "Sure looks like him. Don't worry, I'll be fine." He leaned in and brushed her lips with his. "You be careful too. Don't let him see you."  
  
Amanda watched Lee creep cautiously closer until he was hidden behind the group of shrubs. She then picked up a large branch and tossed it as far as she could toward the boat, then quickly followed it with a barrage of smaller sticks and pebbles. Rossi spun around at the sound, cocked his gun, and walked slowly down the boat's ramp. As soon as his foot touched the ground, Lee appeared behind him and swiftly executed a chop to the neck that felled Rossi without a sound. Lee dragged his victim deeper into the woods, where Amanda came to join him. They quickly cuffed his hands behind his back around a nearby tree.  
  
"Do you think it will hold him this time?" Amanda whispered to Lee.  
  
"Well, he's going to be unconscious for quite a while yet, and with his hands behind his back like that, he'd have a hard time getting loose even if he does wake up. Once I take care of Silvo, we can check on him while we wait for backup to get here." Lee stood up and tucked Rossi's gun into his waistband. "Come on, Amanda, let's go."  
  
Holding hands, they silently crossed the ramp onto the Quest, then moved cautiously onto the deck. Lee headed toward the bridge, checked to make sure the room was unoccupied, then pulled Amanda with him. "Amanda, get on the radio and call Billy. I'm going to go find Silvo." Before she could protest, he had vanished out the door.  
  
Shaking her head, Amanda called the Agency to deliver her message before heading back out to find her partner. She peeked out the doorway to make sure it was safe, then crept toward the bow. Sneaking a quick look around the corner, she saw Orciani emerge stealthily from the stairway carrying a gun. Wondering where Lee was, she looked quickly around for anything to use as a weapon, and settled on a wrench hanging from a hook. She risked taking another glance. Orciani was turning in her direction, so she scurried back onto the bridge. Hefting the wrench in her hand, she flattened herself against the wall and listened carefully. Footsteps neared the door, hesitated, then the door started to open. She raised the wrench as high as she could and brought it crashing down on Orciani's arm as she yelled, "Lee!" Orciani's gun slid across the floor and under the edge of a cabinet, but he grabbed Amanda's hair as she headed for the weapon. Quickly wrapping his arm around her neck, he pulled her out the door onto the deck.  
  
"Let her go, Silvo!"  
  
"No, I don't think so!" He suddenly yanked Amanda in front of him like a shield. She put her hands up and futilely tried to ease the pressure of his arm. "Put your gun down real slow or I'll squeeze the pretty lady's neck.good. Now kick it over here."  
  
"Let her go!" Playing for time, Lee complied. He pushed his gun with his foot and took an almost imperceptible step toward Orciani, then froze when the arm holding Amanda tightened. "You might as well give up now, Orciani, or should I call you Silvo? Our backup will be here any minute. You can't get away this time."  
  
"I don't know about that. With this little lady as my insurance, I think I'll take my chances." Orciani roughly dragged Amanda toward the ramp. He bent to retrieve Lee's gun. While he was momentarily distracted, Amanda pulled a set of keys from her pocket and stabbed him in his arm that was wrapped around her neck. Yelping in pain, Orciani's hold loosened, enabling Amanda to squirm free. Lee tackled Orciani, the gun skittered away and fell into the river.  
  
"Amanda, go find the Donaldsons," Lee called as he threw a direct hit to Orciani's jaw.  
  
Amanda winced and hesitated when Orciani landed a punch.  
  
"Go!" Lee gasped for air, but managed to kick Orciani hard enough to double him over.  
  
Taking one last look, Amanda hurried down the stairs. Following the sound of crying children, she located the correct cabin only to find that the door was locked. "Hello, Mrs. Donaldson? I'm from the Agency and I'm going to get you out of there. Hang on while I find something to unlock the door." Opening the door of the adjacent cabin, Amanda spotted keys on the dresser. Snatching them up, she hurried back to release the frightened family. She handed the keys to the woman comforting the two children. "Here, take these keys and lock yourselves back in. I have to go help my partner. I'll let you know when it's safe to come out."  
  
Amanda waited until she heard the lock click into place, then grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall. She pulled the safety pin out, pointed the nozzle in front of her, and rushed up the steps, prepared to direct the foam into Orciani's face. As she reached the top of the stairs, she heard a splash. She was just in time to see Lee place his left hand on the railing, and vault overboard. Amanda ran to the spot where Lee had been, and saw him towing an unconscious Orciaini toward the shore.  
  
After hauling him up the ramp, and handcuffing him to the railing, Lee turned to Amanda. "What were you planning to do with that?" He nodded toward the fire extinguisher and smiled.  
  
Amanda blushed and looked down. "I was being your back-up. I, uh, I was going to spray Orciani with it right in the eyes, so it would have been easier for you to capture him." She sneaked a glance at Lee's face. "I guess it wasn't really a good idea, was it?"  
  
Lee smiled at her discomfiture. "No, Amanda, on the contrary, it was very resourceful of you. And thanks for watching my tail."  
  
"My pleasure." Amanda flushed even more. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded!"  
  
Lee took her hands in his. "Amanda, don't be embarrassed. I know what you meant. But what did you use to get away from Silvo?"  
  
Amanda held up a set of keys. "You left them in the car again, so I stuck them in my pocket."  
  
Lee shook his head. "This time I'm glad I forgot." He looked around. "By the way, where are the Donaldsons? Are they all right?"  
  
"They're just fine. I told them to lock themselves in until I was sure it was safe. Guess I should go tell them to come out now."  
  
"Good idea. I'm going to go get Rossi." Lee turned and went down the ramp.  
  
By the time the Agency back-up boats arrived on the scene a few minutes later, Lee had returned with a crestfallen Rossi. Agents quickly loaded Orciani and Rossi onto one of the boats and carted them away. Lee joined Amanda, who was escorting the Donaldsons to another vessel. She waved to the family as the boat pulled out, then turned to Lee, smiled, and handed him a blanket . "This is getting to be a habit with you, Scarecrow! You need to stop swimming until the weather warms up."  
  
"Very funny!" Lee growled in mock anger before returning her smile. "Thanks for the blanket, by the way."  
  
"You're welcome. Now, let's get out of here."  
  
SMK*** SMK*** SMK*** SMK*** SMK*** SMK*** SMK*** SMK*** SMK*** SMK***  
  
Amanda kept her eyes on the road as she drove, but her attention was on Lee as he used the car phone to fill Billy in on the successful conclusion of the case. "Lee, tell Billy we're going to your apartment before coming in. You need to get out of those wet clothes."  
  
Lee smiled at Amanda as he passed the message along. He listened for a moment before continuing. "Okay, that'd be great, Billy. Thanks, I really appreciate it.That's good news.No, we'd love to.All right, hold on and I'll ask her." He covered the receiver with his hand. "Billy said we don't have to come in tonight and wants us to sail the Matahari back to its own slip tomorrow if you're available." He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Please say yes."  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
"It's all set, Billy.Yes, we'll drive back down tonight.That will work out fine." He glanced sideways at Amanda. "Oh, I plan on it.okay. Goodbye."  
  
"What do you plan on doing?" Amanda asked curiously.  
  
Ignoring her question, Lee hung up the phone and changed the subject. "Amanda, you did a great job on this case. With your help, we were able to identify Silvo, and he and Rossi are both going to be behind bars for a long time."  
  
Amanda braked to a stop at a traffic signal. Looking at Lee, she said in a determined voice, "Nice try, Lee, but it won't work. I heard you tell Mr. Melrose that you plan on doing something, and I want to know what it is."  
  
Lee grinned at her and pointed to the road. "Um, Amanda, you'd better pay attention to what you're doing. The light's green now." The blare of a horn behind them emphasized his point.  
  
Amanda accelerated, and didn't say another word until they pulled up in front of Lee's apartment building a few minutes later. As she turned off the ignition, she looked at Lee. "Okay, buster, spill it!"  
  
Chuckling softly, Lee leaned closer to Amanda. An inch from her lips, he murmured, "Billy told me to make sure to thank you for your help." He kissed her lightly. "That's the thank you." He drew back slightly. As Amanda started to speak, he put his finger on her lips to stop her. "No, that's not the best I can do to show my gratitude." His lips descended once again.  
  
Amanda ducked, and the kiss landed on her forehead.  
  
"Amanda, what's wrong?" Lee looked so puzzled that Amanda had to hide a smile.  
  
She flattened her hand on his chest to keep him in place. "Nothing's wrong," she declared sweetly. "I just want to know what this big plan of yours is, and why it's so secret."  
  
"Amanda, it's not really a big deal." Lee shook his head.  
  
"Well, then, you won't mind sharing it with me, will you?" She smiled beguilingly at him.  
  
Lee cleared his throat and smiled back. "It'll cost you."  
  
"How much?"  
  
"Well, we'll start with you making dinner for us, and take it from there."  
  
Amanda grinned as Lee used the same blackmailing technique she had once used on him. "Okay, it's a deal. Now, give!"  
  
"Billy told me we could take our time sailing back, and to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. I simply told him that I plan to." He put his hand behind Amanda's head and drew it closer. "And I think I'll start right now." He trailed kisses along her jaw, then down to her neck.  
  
Amanda sighed in contentment and reached up to link her hands around Lee's neck. Feeling his damp collar, she paused, then pulled away reluctantly. "Lee, you need to get out of these wet clothes before you end up getting sick."  
  
Lee arched his eyebrows and winked. "Can I count on you to be my nurse if I do?"  
  
Amanda swatted his arm. "You're incorrigible, do you know that?" She opened the car door. "Come on, let's go." 


End file.
